Football Manager 2012 – Best Wonderkids [Guide]

Football Manager is back and, as with each coming year, there is yet again a consistent flow of new and promising players to scout and sign up for your team of choice. Due to continuous updates to the series and an overflowing amount of players, it might be confusing to choose the best ones and find out who they really are. Thankfully, this guide will point you in the right direction towards a group of wonder kids that will bolster any side in Football Manager 2012.

The players in this list can qualify for the youth team for a season. This fictional team is tested with a 4-4-2 formation and their ages range from 16 to 18 years of age. If the eleven awesome starting players in the below squad are not enough, pick among the top substitutes that could fill any position in the line up.

GK: Jack Butland, £1.9million, Age: 18
When Jack turns 28, he is at the very least a sturdy top-four goalkeeper. Starting off as a youth team goalkeeper, it would take more than a couple of seasons for him to qualify for the Championship. However, he could be a rated goal-keeper in a low-table Premiership side after five to six seasons.

DL: Jack Robinson, £16.75million, Age: 17
Although the offer is staggering, the valuation for Robinson is perhaps an accurate one. For his development, the amount could be a wise investment. He will eventually blossom and surprise everybody as he eventually becomes one of the most feared left backs in the game.

DC: Giuseppe Pestia, £1.7million, Age: 17
This solid central defender could be the best in the game. Nonetheless, it could be hard to project his future in the game because of the injuries he unfortunately suffers from. On the other hand, he has the qualities to be a key player in a team. For him to last long in his career and have fewer injuries, a less intense training schedule could serve him well.

DC: Tomas Kalas, £5million, Age: 18
Kalas’ career will take off in 2014 despite initially starting as a backup player. After just two years, he could become a regular first team player. His asking price is not that high, but he would demand for a backup contract. After three years, he could command a staggering price of more than £35 million.

DR: Romario, £700K, Age: 17
As of this time, Romario does not have the guts and skill to be a menacing right-back, but he is still good at 17. He should be employed on auto instead. He will shine when he is 24 years of age with his physical attributes and will develop into a spectacular wing-back in his late 20s. Presently, he should get more training in a more attacking position.

DMC: Lorenzo Crisetig, £10million, Age: 18
If you are looking for a deep-lying playmaker, Crisetig is the man for the job. His development as one of the top defensive midfielders in the game will definitely be easy. His development for the position could take a while, but he can quickly adapt to be an anchorman.

ML: Lucas Moura, £27million, Age: 18
In 2020, Moura could be one of the top five players in your game, but that is if you play your cards well. Sao Paulo is actually asking a phenomenal figure of £50million for him, but this youngster has definitely a lot to offer for the £27million that you can get him for. You can grab the opportunity as he has ambitions to move to a bigger club. That is the perfect time to grab him for less.

MR: Raheem Sterling, £10million, Age: 16
The FM Team has included Sterling among the list of promising young talents in Britain. In 2020, he would become a dynamo of a winger with an explosiveness that can rival that of the legendary Lionel Messi. Being a good winger, he could work well side by side with Moura.

AMC: Leandro, £10million, Age: 18
Shifting from an attacking midfield position in the middle, left, right and vice versa, Leandro is a very efficient player because of this capability. He is worth every cent of the outlay comparable to the deal with Eriksen in FM2011. Being an advanced playmaker, his preferred turf would be as a central attacking midfielder.

ST: Erick Torres, £4million, Age: 18
In a matter of four to five years, Torres could be a better complete forward and even a brilliant defensive forward. A great eye for goal compliments his creativeness when producing chances for his team mates. As he develops, you should see his assists continually jump up.

ST: Carlos Fierro, £1.2million, Age: 16
In just 2014, Fierro would be a formidable substitute against lower-league teams. Pairing excellently with Torres, showing his mettle in crucial matches, he was observed to be a promising player. Chances are he will perform very well in a match against, for example, top teams like Chelsea. Having the exact amazing stats for the advanced forward position, he will be a dominating force in this area for the next ten years.

Substitutes:

Sub 1: Laurentiu Branescu, £1million, GK, Age: 17
Branescu would be happy being a backup and used sparingly in Carling Cup-type matches. He is no match for Butland when vying for the #1 jersey and is wasting precious time by sitting on the bench. In your team, he could develop to eventually rival Butland or you can end up selling him after all. It depends on how you decide to progress with his career early on.

Sub 2: Kara, £1million, DMC, DC, CM
With skills, age, and experience, Kara is unbeatable. He may be three years over the allowable age limit for this guide, but he is just awesome either as either a central defender or defensive midfielder. He is indestructible and hardly misplaces passes. He is an A1 player who continues getting more formidable as the years pass.

Sub 3: Ross Barkley, £18million, CM, Age: 17
A testament to Ross’ versatility is his capacity to be effective alongside a playmaker. You must have a plan for him to develop into a box-to-box midfielder in his mid-20s. He possesses good stamina, but he is not that fast. For a traditional 4-4-2 style formation, he is one of the most reliable central midfielders you could sign.

Sub 4: Mateo Kovacc, £4.9million, CM, Age: 17
On attack settings, Kovacic is the man of the game. Moreover, he can also effectively dominate the attacking midfielder position. He is a force to be reckoned with in a Christmas Tree formation and develops faster than the average player. For this reason, he is worth a substantial contract.

Sub 5: Muhammed Demirci, £1.5million, AMRLC, Age: 16
Although Demirci could not generate an earthquake, he is a versatile substitute. He can play well in the center, left, right, and can be an attacking midfielder. He gets a lot of games with this attribute, but his potential remains to be tapped to the fullest.

Sub 6: Andy Polo, 500K, AMRL/ST, Age: 16
As a young player, Andy has the stamina, pace, and acceleration. These qualities could not mean much, but it is compensated by his adept right and left foot. This raw talent is a trademark of a future star and he will be definitely be prepared for the Carling Cup in 2015. Three years after the cup, he can be an awesome cover for Moura and Sterling. Ultimately, his star will shine in 2020 being a reliable winger.

Sub 7: Adam Campbell, £2.8million, ST, Age: 16
Sterling and Flanagan are classy players that are fairly rated, but in the case of Campbell, too much has been written with not much to show for it. Nonetheless, this prestige could be the English youngster’s ticket to the top. By 2020, he could be the best poacher of the game and one of the leading scorers.

With the above-mentioned list, you can never go wrong with this addictive strategy game. You will be well prepared for your next playthough of Football Manager 2012 and we hope you appreciate that we are unloading some of your headaches for you to enjoy the fun of the game!