Football Manager 2024: The FM24 wonderkids we expect for the new game
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids are already writing their stories, with FM24 not expected to be released until the autumn. If you're anything like us though, you're already pondering which prospects will be available when the game comes out.
Well, we've been scouring not just the FM database but the real world for clues as to who will become the wonderkids of tomorrow. These are our picks for superstardom – and yes, before you ask, yes: we have a score of 20 for judging players' potential ability.
So let's dive in. These are the kids that you'll need for your Football Manager save next time around. Bookmark this page – there may well be movement, yet…
Goalkeepers
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 goalkeepers I need to sign?
Goalkeepers in Football Manager tend to mature after the age of 25 – but that probably won't stop you from picking up a precocious custodian for the next decade.
With these players all under 21, it's well worth adding one or two to your loan army now rather than having to shell out megabucks down the line. It's all about the long game, right?
Right-backs
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 right-backs I need to sign?
Right-back is a fascinating position in FM. There are naturally more right-footers than left in football and these days, it's not just the centre-backs and wingers who weren't good enough in those positions who play out at full-back.
These youngsters are all specialised in this position: whether you favour a back three or four, holding possession or countering, the full-backs you operate with are becoming ever-important in the modern game.
Centre-backs
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 centre-backs I need to sign?
Get a young centre-back in now and you can grow a backline that lasts a decade. It's exactly what the elite clubs do when looking to evolve.
With central defenders improving every year in terms of their athleticism and ball-playing ability, signing a younger player in this position can actually enable you to play a more expansive style of play, in some cases, too.
Left-backs
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 left-backs I need to sign?
Here's a piece of advice to you: if you manage to find a world-class left-back, hold onto him. It's a rarity in football, given that there are so few.
That's partly because it's such a specialised role and partly because left-footed players are scarcer. These players are all genuine threats from left-back though – and not just playing there out of having to.
Defensive midfielders
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 defensive midfielders I need to sign?
A lot of these players are capable of playing in central midfield, while a select few could handle a centre-back role. It used to be that this was a role for a more mature player: football evolves, however, and these kids are alright, so to speak.
With a range of talents needed for the No.6 position, it's best to assess exactly what you need deeper in your team and go from there. Do you need a destroyer? Or something a little subtler?
Central midfielders
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 central midfielders I need to sign?
Central midfielders can be remoulded into just about anything in the game – but if you find one worth his salt, you can give him regular minutes in a three-man midfield from his teenage years and beyond.
This is how you build a spine of the team – and this lot are a precocious bunch.
Attacking midfielders
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 attacking midfielders I need to sign?
The lads that lift you off your seat. Attacking midfielders were said to be dwindling in football in the last decade – but no one told these players.
A lot of these stars are capable of remoulding into CMs, wingers, even strikers if you're lucky. It's understandable that the most expressive, imaginative players in the team are wonderkids, so be sure to add one or two of these to your squad.
Right-wingers
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 right-wingers I need to sign?
There's a science to football. Left-footers tend to be more creative – don't ask why, they just are – and often, right-wingers are left-footed, so that they can cut inside.
A fair few of these stars will be creative sparks able to function as inverted wingers, while others will be inside forwards. As ever, analyse the stats and delve deeper into whatever it is you want to add to your squad.
Strikers
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 left-wingers I need to sign?
Playing up front from a young age is difficult – and as we've mentioned, an abundance of right-footers makes the left-wing position the perfect spot to add a striker who hasn't quite got the physicality just yet.
This lot are all specialists in this position but with perhaps the best potential to be retrained into another position than anyone else on this list.
Strikers
Football Manager 2024 wonderkids: Who are the FM24 strikers I need to sign?
Whatever the age, you can't teach an eye for goal, can you?
These players are all thought to be the next big Golden Boot winners – and getting one or two as backups to your big strikers can pay dividends, especially if you like to use younger players in the cups.
