20 Wonderkids to look out for in FMM16

[JustM1kePlays]

Searching for the next Cherno Samba, Freddy Adu or Kennedy Bakircioglu? 

20 Wonderkids (that's if they are) in FMM16 you will need to sign

Football Manager Mobile is not a game, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a full-time yet voluntary profession that rips hours out of your life, but it doesn’t matter because it offers a chance to every man, woman and child of leading their team to glory.

One key part of being successful is picking up a bargain hot prospects and nurturing them into title-winning machines. Wonderkids are the lifeblood of the game, now let’s see which of the top young talents in the world could be worth looking at on FMM 2016 if they made it on to the database

20. Daniele Rugani

Daniele Rugani is one of the top new talents in the masterful Italian art of defending. He was raised up through the Empoli youth system before landing a move to Juventus, though he has never played for the Turin giants, after spending two seasons back on loan with Empoli.

At just 20 years old, the centre back is now fully-owned by Juventus and is widely-tipped to be the replacement for the ageing Andrea Barzagli. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid have all been linked, so this could be the last Football Manager where the rock-solid, tall defender is available without having to destroy your budget.

19. Jack Harper

While all eyes are on one Real Madrid starlet, their youth system is crammed with talent, including Jack Harper, a Spanish-born Scotsman. Both of his parents, and all of his extended family are Scottish, but he could qualify for Spanish citizenship, a duel which is underway.

Scottish U19s boss Ricky Sbragia didn’t call Harper up to the squad recently, with reports suggesting he wasn’t tall enough, despite already topping 6ft. The snub saw the Spanish national team come calling, asking about his availability. He could still be a couple of years away from a significant impact, but he could be an exciting pick-up on FMM2016.

18. Kristoffer Ajer

He would develop into a Premier League class midfielder, with the potential to become a Champions League-calibre star.

At 17, the Norwegian youngster is very much a project and will require time to develop, but at 6’5″, the imposing defensive midfielder offers a massively disruptive skill set for opposing attackers, while he can offer a dynamic threat going forward. Spurs and Liverpool are both closely tracking the Start wonderkid, but if he continues to improve, there’s no reason he can’t aim even higher

17. John Stones

It’s nigh-on impossible to maintain a homegrown team of champions in the Premier League, but for those managers keen to add a British core to their superstar lineup, John Stones is your man.

The 20-year-old defender is tipped to be a future England captain, and is coming along at exactly the right time with the patched up England defence lacking serious quality. Stones is already a commanding, solid presence for Everton and will no doubt make it to the top. Chelsea are weighing up a bid as John Terry approaches 35, so Stones may not be around for long. Expect to pay big money, but he’ll slot into almost any top team and flourish.

16. Luka Jovic

Luka Jovic is one of the youngest to feature on this list, but at the age of 17, he’s already notched up 7 goals in 22 games up front for Red Star Belgrade while the hotshot Serb has also netted 4 in 7 for his country’s under 19 team.

Arsenal have been strongly linked with a move, with a reasonable fee of around £3 million being touted. At that price, he could be well worth a bid, especially if you’re the type of manager who hoards young players from around the globe in the hope that they develop from very good players, to world class level.

 

15. Simone Scuffet

Behind every top team, there’s a top goalkeeper. Finding a young goalkeeper is very much a waiting game as they tend not to develop til later than outfield players, but Udinese’s Simone Scuffet could be one of the best bets to turn into a star.

 

He made his Serie A debut aged just 17, and Udinese have officially announced that they will sell their current Number 1, Orestis Karnezis, to make way for Scuffet, now aged 19. The young stopper has already turned down an offer from Atletico Madrid as he seeks to develop at his current club, but he could be tempted in the virtual world

 

14. Emanuel Mammana

 

The Argentine Primera Division is always a talent-rich hunting ground for football managers in the game. Highly-skilful, young players frequently appear for very decent prices, while their wages are rock-bottom. That’s the perfect mould for a young player to come in, and Emanuel Mammana could be the next off the production line of homegrown talent.

 

The 19-year-old centre back was called up to the full-Argentina squad before he’d even played a senior game for River Plate. He opposed the national side in a sparring team as a warm up, but impressed so much that he was called up to the top, a similar story to how Javier Mascherano started out. Arsenal and Juventus are circling, so get in quickly.

 

13. Andrija Zivkovic

Partizan have a remarkable record with producing legendary players both in the real world, and virtual. Andrija Zivkovic could be the latest to graduate, following in the recent footsteps of Stevan Jovetic, Matija Nastasic, Adem Ljajic, Lazar Markovic and Aleksander Mitrovic.

 

The small, creative midfield maestro is a top passer and can burst forward with the ball too making him a somewhat dual-threat. He was the youngest ever capped player for Serbia, and the youngest to ever wear the captain’s armband for Partizan. He’s only 18 now, but with 48 league games and 10 goals to his name, the future is bright. He should be a bargain upon release.

 

12. Nikola Ninkovic

 

While Zivkovic is rated highly, his teammate and partner-in-crime Nikola Ninkovic has been picked out as a star in the making by the club touting him as the next  Zinedine Zidane.

 

Even being mentioned in the same breath as Zidane should get people excited about Ninkovic, though his attitude has been called into question after racially abusing England’s Danny Rose during an international U23 game. If he can cool his temperament, he could be incredible.

 

11. Luciano Vietto

Even at the age of just 21, Luciano Vietto is an elder wonderkid. He’s already won many fans over with 20 goals in all competitions this season for Villarreal, and now he could be Manchester United-bound.

 

If Villarreal manage to cling onto him, then splashing the cash on the pacey forward may be a great move on FMM16, and even though he has already made an impact at club level, his stats will continue to improve for seasons to come.

 

10. Munir El Haddadi

Munir El Haddadi (otherwise known as Munir) is a tremendous talent, with lightening quick feet and a sharp burst of pace that can torment defenders. He’s a striker, winger, attacking midfielder; he’s the whole package.

 

Barcelona have already realised this, and snapped him up from Atletico Madrid four years ago, but the youngster is reportedly tired of the Barcelona B setup, with the deadly trio of Neymar, Suarez and Messi showing no signs of giving any other forwards a chance anytime soon. He’s been linked with Arsenal, but even if he goes there, Munir could be a sensational loan signing if a permanent deal looks impossible.

 

9. Aymeric Laporte

Aymeric Laporte is the only non-Spanish player at Athletic Bilbao, who are famed for their Basque-only signing policy. Laporte is only the second Frenchman to play for the club in their history, after Bixente Lizarazu, but qualifies for Bilbao’s strategy as he started out through a French-Basque academy before rising up through the Spanish side’s youth system.

 

The 21-year-old is an established member of the Bilbao team, but he could still be prised away by a top reputation club in both the real and virtual worlds, with a £36.5 million buyout clause in his new contract which runs until 2019. If he really does develop into one of the best centre backs in the world, that won’t seem like a steep price to pay in the future.

 

8. Domenico Berardi

Domenico Berardi has been a revelation for Sassuolo. The 20-year-old started his career there, bagging 11 league goals en route to securing their first ever promotion to Serie A in 2013, before he moved to Juventus.

 

He was immediately loaned back to Sassuolo for two seasons and continued his rich form, with 31 goals in 61 games for the newbies, remarkably keeping them in the top flight. At just 18 years old, he hit all four goals past AC Milan in a 4-3 victory, and in May 2015, he smashed a hat-trick past the fallen Milanese giants. He’s a huge prospect, and with 10 league assists to his name in Serie A during the last campaign, he could be a superstar in your FMM team.

 

7. Ezequiel Ponce

Ezequiel Ponce has recently turned 18, and has already won himself a big move to Roma, with the youngster set to land in Italy in December 2015. Obviously this means you won’t be able to sign him straight away, but he could be a tremendous loan signing, or a fantastic wonderkid by the end of the first season.

 

He’s drawn comparisons to Gabriel Batistuta by those who have seen him play regularly, and with Ponce readily available in Europe come FMM2016, the standard work permit issue is far less problematic. He comes with pace, power, strength and a keen eye for goal, meaning that he could be a fantastic loan swoop for a mid-table Premier League side to begin with, before taking on the world.

 

6. Lee Seung Woo

The Barcelona youth setup at La Masia is stunning, and responsible for a vast array of title-winning stars, including Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all-time. Therefore, it’s a good bet that if you picked any player out of their Barcelona B team, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up with somebody talented.

 

Lee Seung Woo could be the next big thing, with some labelling the 17-year-old as the Korean Messi.

 

5. Gabriel Barbosa

Neymar is still only 22-years-old, but his former club Santos feel like they’ve already unearthed the next Brazilian prodigy, with Gabriel Barbosa stealing the headlines in his home country.

 

Barbosa racked up 21 goals during the 2014 campaign, and has now turned 18. It’s unlikely he’ll be going anywhere soon in the real world, with Neymar hanging around long enough to grow before taking on Europe, though Real Madrid, AC Milan, and many more suitors are all keen to snap him up. He could be going for a relatively low price on FMM2016, but it might be wise to pick him up as soon as possible to avoid his career taking off before you get your hands on him.

4. Youri Tielemans

Anderlecht are another team famed for producing sensational talent, and this is mirrored in the virtual world through Romelu Lukaku, Olivier Deschacht, and Anthony Vanden Borre, each supremely talented in the game, but with varying real-world success. Which side of the line will Youri Tielemans fall?

 

He is the youngest ever player to feature in the Champions League at the age of 16 and 148 days, and made 64 league appearances for the first team before his 18th birthday. His skills have drawn comparisons to Frank Lampard, capable of sitting deeper, but excellent at driving forward. He’s a box-to-box midfielder with a huge future.

3. Richairo Zivkovic

Richairo Zivkovic was a FMH15 sensation, and there’s every reason to believe he will be again on the new game. He bagged 11 Eredivisie goals as a 17-year-old for FC Groningen, and 18 in 25 games for Jong Ajax (the Ajax youth team) who play in the second tier.

 

He’s obviously got goalscoring potential, and in FMH2015, he developed into an utterly sensational striker, with pace to burn and a lethal finish among many, many other top attributes. His character has been questioned after a frustrated kick at an opponent during a heavy defeat, causing Frank De Boer to be reluctant to give the 18-year-old a long spell in the first team. But this shouldn’t take away from his potential.

 

2. Oliver Torres

Oliver Torres is one of the hottest properties in Europe, with the deep-lying midfielder currently wowing the crowds at Porto while on loan from Atletico Madrid. But Barcelona have been linked with the 20-year-old tipped to be the eventual replacement for Xavi in years to come.

 

Whether that happens remains unclear, though he’s certainly impressed on a domestic and European level already, being part of the Porto side that beat Bayern Munich 3-1. He will return to Atletico like a different player, a mature, experienced young man, and while he’s small in stature, he’s huge on talent. This could be your last chance to pick him up cheap if Diego Simeone feels he’s ready for a spell in the Madrid first team.

 

1. Martin Ødegaard

Arguably the most talked about young player in the world, Martin Ødegaard, will undoubtedly be one of the trickiest to permanently pluck from any club on FMM2016. Not only is he deep in the clutches of Real Madrid, but he’s reportedly earning around £80,000-a-WEEK as a 16-year-old.

 

However, if the in-game Real Madrid are willing to lower their wage expectations, Ødegaard could be a phenomenal loan signing, with the Norwegian starlet touted for a possible temporary move elsewhere in La Liga. If he isn’t already on loan at the start of the game, Ødegaard will be a must-sign for lower Premier League teams, but if you can’t snare him the first time around, he’s still going to have about four seasons of being a ‘youngster’ so there will be opportunities.

 

Of course, this list can be rearranged into any order, and countless other names could be added.

So who do you think will be the wonderkids on FMM16?

 

[Dec]

Great work Mike. Two new wonderkids to look out for will no doubt be Reece Oxford and Breel Embolo.

[JustM1kePlays]

Think Reece Oxford is going to be a solid player an I will be using him for sure on 16. Not really seen much on Embolo. Thanks for the comment and input Dec

[Ashez]

Wow, fantastic work Mike  

[JustM1kePlays]

Thanks Ash. Will be interesting to compare these players when 16 comes out. (I can't even write FMM any more)

[HashtagTatica]

Thanks Ash. Will be interesting to compare these players when 16 comes out. (I can't even write FMM any more)

typical Mike typing FMM while saying he can't write fmm anymore 

??

[Ashez]

typical Mike typing FMM while saying he can't write fmm anymore 

??

A comment about his work would be more appreciated  

[antti98]

i think hachim mastour will be great player in game

[JustM1kePlays]

Can't believe I forgot about him. Thank you for your suggestion @antti98 

[TheOldPeacock]

Mike, as a Leeds fan, I'm disappointed you haven't put forward the name of Lewis Cook. Started this season very well, on the back of being our young player of the year in his first full season. Leeds will struggle to keep hold of him beyond this season

[JustM1kePlays]

Mike, as a Leeds fan, I'm disappointed you haven't put forward the name of Lewis Cook. Started this season very well, on the back of being our young player of the year in his first full season. Leeds will struggle to keep hold of him beyond this season

I did actually have him on my original draft and Byram but I thought I was being biased as a Leeds fan. I do agree we will find it hard to keep both tbh as we do with all our best player. (Has given me an idea). I just do see him as a wonderkid.  I have got more 16 content coming out soon. 

[Seth Anacondas]

Mike, what about Jairo Riedewald? 19 years old CB/LB/CDM that's a regular for Ajax, cannot go wrong for big teams surely.

[scass]

I have missed feelings about wonder kids. I think we get too excited by them, because they develop and can be the mainstay of a team for years. I've found unearthing someone who isn't one of the usual suspects a lot more satisfying, I have to say - I bought Durimel (CB) for a League One side in one save and he was immense right up to promotion into the Premiership. Similarly Cyrus Christie, who has a couple of European Cup medals at this point. On the other hand, most of us have never actually seen Odegaard play apart from on YouTube clip packages, or Mastour. And if we look at Januzaj - a big favourite of mine in the game - he's now finding it hard to get a game for Dortmund and will quite possibly end up in a mid-table club. Given that one of the biggest success story in the EPL was never a wondered, and was playing i the Conference three years ago, maybe the hidden gem/lower league section of iScout deserves our attention a bit more :-)

 

Not trying to start an argument here, I'm just interested what other people think.

 

 

[scass]

That should have been "mixed feelings" btw, not missed feelings. 

[dutchfmh]

I'm missing players like bazoer and tete from ajax but apart from that great list