FM 09 Wonderkids XI

Imagine a team that is completely made up of some of the hottest prospects that Football Manager’s virtual world of football has to offer. It would be great wouldn’t it? Well start a game with Manchester City and you’ve more than half a chance of attracting most of the players that fall into the ‘Wonderkid’ category.

But before you go off and do just that, I’ve scoured the shortlists and tried my utmost to come up with a balanced starting eleven that represents the brightest young talents on the game. Who knows, you may even be tempted to replicate this exact team yourself!

Manager:

Arsene Wenger (Arsenal)

What better manager to develop the mercurial talents of these youngsters than Wenger. With so many fruitful years of experience of nurturing potential into brilliance, I’m sure the Frenchman would do a sterling job in bringing through the ‘Wonderkids’ listed below and gelling them as a team.

Goalkeeper:

Hugo Lloris (Lyon)

While Lloris may not to be explicitly listed as a ‘Wonderkid’ in-game, the Lyon goalkeeper is certainly one of the most promising young stoppers around. In real life Lloris has cemented his place as Lyon’s number one this season and on FM he eventually develops into a goalkeeper of world class proportions.

Right Back:

Micah Richards (Manchester City)

Fresh from impressing at the European under 21 Championships, Micah Richards is a fantastic defensive prospect. Comfortable at centre-back or on the right of the defence, the Manchester City youngster possesses solid attributes that result in him being a strong, athletic and quick defender. While he may struggle in more advanced positions on FM, Richards would command a place at the back in almost any side around Europe.

Left Back:

Marcelo (Real Madrid)

Before SI introduced the first patch for FM, you could grab Marcelo on the cheap by activating his release clause of £5.5 million. With the ridiculously high transfer deals that tend to be thrashed out on FM, bargain isn’t a word that does such a deal credible justice. That’s because the Brazilian full-back is a wonderfully gifted footballer and his versatility means that he can play anywhere on the left-hand side of the field.

Centre Back:

Cristian Zapata (Udinese)

Zapata is a commanding centre-half built in the mould of Micah Richards. The Udinese defender is strong in the air, a tough tackler and with pace to burn too. His presence at the back has drawn attention from a variety of Europe’s top clubs and it’s not hard to see why.

Mamadou Sakho (PSG)

Sakho captains his club side PSG in real life and I’m sure he would form a formidable partnership with Cristian Zapata on Football Manager. While I have never paired the two together on my own saved games, at 18-years-old, with a strong left-foot and decent defensive attributes, Sakho always rates highly on my list of potential transfer targets.

Right Midfield:

Theo Walcott (Arsenal)

Pace, pace and more pace. Theo Walcott certainly has it in abundance and that alone tends to ensure that he is every left-back’s nightmare. Walcott may not be the finished product in a technical sense but with the huge potential he undoubtedly has, he is a worthy member of the exclusive ‘Wonderkid’ club.

Left Midfield:

Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia)

Mata is a quality player on FM and he has the attributes to prove it. With creativity, flair, dribbling, technique and pace, the 20-year-old Valencia midfielder has sufficient weaponry at his disposal. While Mata likes to be considered an attacking midfielder, his ability with his left-foot means that he will comfortably do a stern job playing left-midfield.

Centre Midfield:

Anderson (Manchester United)

While Manchester United fans haven’t seen anywhere near the best of Anderson as an attacking threat, the potential of the Brazilian is there for all to see. With his technique and passing ability on Football Manager, Anderson will happily spray the ball about and given a prolonged run of games, he will develop into a top class central midfielder.

Marek Hamsik (Napoli)

I always find it’s best to complement an attacking midfielder with a more defensive minded partner in central midfield on FM. There are a few outstanding young players that can play this role but Marek Hamsik beats off stiff competition from the likes of Kuzmanovic and Raul Garcia to win a place in the starting line-up. While Anderson commits to bombing on forward, Hamsik will happily sit in front of the back four and his attributes also state that he can be a useful attacking threat too.

Striker:

Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)

If you can stump up the cash to get hold of Aguero then there’s no question that you should buy him. The Atletico Madrid attacker is drawing attention from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in real life at the moment and he’s certainly a fantastic talent in the virtual world of Football Manager too. The Argentine is pacey, can beat a man and is clinical in front of goal as well. What more could you ask for from a striker?!

Pato (AC Milan)

Nurture Pato in the correct manner by fundamentally giving him plenty of chances to impress and the Brazilian will flourish. With his dribbling, technique and acceleration already near perfection when you first load up the game, Pato is already an attacking threat to be reckoned with. Given a few years of development at the highest level and he begins to rival some of the best striker’s in world football.