This year’s edition of Football Manager is out and millions of players are already suited and booted, knee-deep in scouting, buying and selling some of the best talent on offer in world football.
Despite making the odd gaffe and completely over-pumping a player, Sports Interactive have a canny habit of getting it spot on when it comes to young talent, often bringing a player into the limelight before the rest of the world even knows their name.
Germany is a hive for such talent at the moment. So, with that in mind, here are the top 12 wonderkids with the highest potential rating on Football Manager 2019 in the Bundesliga – each player must be 21 or under to make the cut.
12. Matheus Cunha (-85)
(Photo credit should read JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: RB Leipzig
Top attributes: Flair, dribbling, first touch, determination, acceleration, agility
After smashing 10 goals in 29 games for Swiss side Sion last season, Matheus Cunha found himself on the radar of German side RB Leipzig, completing his move to the club over the summer.
Three goals in 10 games in his fledgling Leipzig career represents a great start to life for the 19-year-old forward, who could easily play his way into the Brazilian youth setup if his form continues.
Cunha’s top stat is his flair, while his agility, acceleration and dribbling all come in high, making him a great option as an inside forward, as well as his natural, centre-forward role.
Leipzig aren’t exactly short of cash, so convincing them to sell may be a task in itself. However, we would recommend getting in there early before the goals start rolling in and Cunha’s value starts sky-rocketing.
11. Joshua Zirkzee (-85)
(Photo credit should read JURE MAKOVEC/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: FC Bayern Munich
Top attributes: Jumping reach, finishing, first touch, anticipation
Bayern Munich plucked Joshua Zirkzee from Feyenoord’s youth system in August 2017 and, to be honest, he’s absolutely destroying it at the moment.
The Dutch forward has already scored 10 goals in 13 games at youth level, with his first-time shooting trait another indicator of his ruthless side.
The fact that a 6ft 4in striker’s jumping reach comes in as his highest stat is hardly a surprise, but his finishing, first touch and anticipation all point to an intelligent striker, who only needs one chance to score.
Zirkzee could easily take up Robert Lewandowski’s role at Bayern as the game progresses, or solve FM players’ striking problems a little later down the line.
10. Johannes Eggestein (-85)
(Photo credit should read MARCELO HERNANDEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Werder Bremen
Top attributes: Teamwork, finishing, first touch, anticipation, work rate
Johannes Eggestein has been on the fringes of the Werder Bremen first team for some time now. It is this season, however, that he really seems to be making headway and adjusting to life at the top.
Despite only playing 98 minutes across seven substitute appearances, the 20-year-old has already managed two goals and an assist this season.
The German youth international comes in highest on teamwork, looking to link up with fellow forwards, closing down opposing defenders and helping the team to defend from the front (a work rate stat of 15 will certainly help there).
At 20-years-old, you will have to throw Eggestein in fast, developing him quickly, but he should be a realistic target given that Werder Bremen aren’t playing European football at the moment.
9. Elias Abouchabaka (-85)
(Photo by Ricardo Nascimento/Getty Images)
Club: Greuther Furth (on loan from RB Leipzig)
Top attributes: Flair, first touch, technique, off the ball, vision, agility
Elias Abouchabaka has already had quite the career at youth level for Germany. A combined 12 goals in 30 games for the various German youth sides is a very solid return, especially when you consider Abouchabaka is a midfielder (the first one on our list).
The 18-year old is equally adept at playing on the left as he is in the No 10 role behind the striker, his flair, touch and vision making him a great playmaker. Abouchabakar’s agility also makes him a potent weapon and he already has a goal and two assists on loan at Greuther Furth this season.
8. Oliver Batista Meier (-85)
(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Club: FC Bayern Munich
Top attributes: Flair, technique, dribbling, determination
The teenage talent scored four goals and registered five assists in 13 games for Bayern’s youth team, before having his season effectively ended with ankle surgery, but this was a great return from 17-year-old Oliver Batista Meier at the start of this campaign.
Given that he is part German, part Brazilian, it is no surprise to see his flair, technique and determination come out on top, while his dribbling ability makes him a nightmare to stop when cutting in from the left onto his favoured right foot.
7. Alexander Isak (-85)
(Photo credit should read JIM YOUNG/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Top attributes: Jumping reach, anticipation, acceleration
At 6ft 3in and with a giant leap, Alexander Isak is something of an old-fashioned striker by today’s standards. However, don’t let that fool you. The 19-year-old Swede is quick off the mark, with great acceleration, meaning he can just as easily get in behind a defence as he can compete with it physically.
His anticipation makes him very effective in and around the box, while a little work on some of his technical assets can easily turn Isak into a potent goalscorer.
6. Dayot Upamecano (172)
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Club: RB Leipzig
Top attributes: Pace, balance, bravery, natural fitness, strength
Now we’re hitting some serious talent. Despite being just 20-years-old, Dayot Upamecano already has over 100 senior club appearances to his name and is a mainstay at the heart of the RB Leipzig defence.
His supreme pace and balance make him a great defender for a team that likes to press high as he is able to cover the space behind the back line, while his bravery and strength give him a huge advantage when going into physical battles with centre-forwards.
One of the really exciting, modern, young defenders in football at the moment, Upamecano is also very confident at carrying the ball out from defence and starting attacks from the back.
5. Jadon Sancho (175)
(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Top attributes: Agility, acceleration, dribbling, technique, flair
Don’t worry, he’s here. To look at Jadon Sancho’s attributes, you would think you were looking at a flying Brazilian, or a lightning fast Frenchman. But, no. What you are looking at is the golden boy of English football over the last couple of months and one of the brightest prospects in world football at the moment.
In 16 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this season, Sancho already has five goals and seven assists, even though he has only started in half of those games. His first three caps for England have also showcased how much the former Manchester City man just loves to express himself on the football pitch, teasing defenders with twisting hips and dancing feet.
Sancho is lightning, skilful and can provide as many goals as he sets up. At just 18-years-old, he will definitely be top of the shopping list for most FM players this season, though he will by no means come cheap.
4. Kai Havertz (176)
(Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Top attributes: Vision, technique, composure, natural fitness, pace
Much has been made of the talents of Kai Havertz over the past 12 months and his recent inclusion in the German senior team has been well deserved.
Havertz’ technique and composure make him great behind the striker, while he has the vision to spot teammate’s runs and unlock an opposition back four.
His skill set doesn’t just stop there, though. Havertz is quick and his natural fitness makes him a great ploy in wide positions or as a box-to-box midfielder.
His concentration and positioning could do with some work but at just 19-years-old, time is certainly on his side.
3. Leon Bailey (178)
(Photo credit should read PATRIK STOLLARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Top attributes: Pace, acceleration, flair, dribbling, agility
Lightening quick, agile and exciting to watch, Leon Bailey is, simply put, brilliant.
Most useful when deployed on right-wing, Bailey’s ability to drop a shoulder and attack inside spaces on his left foot is terrifying to defend against, but brilliant if you’re on the right end of it.
Having already clocked up well over 100 senior club appearances to date, you’ll have to fork out some cash for this 21-year-old, established winger. However, any money you part with will be well spent, as Bailey is also quite a prolific goalscorer who can put away one-on-ones or slam a rocket into the far corner from outside the box – last season was the Jamaican’s most prolific with 12 goals in 34 games.
2. Sergio Gomez (-9)
(Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Top attributes: Technique, first touch, flair, vision
Crafted in Barcelona’s La Masia academy and being refined in the footballing hotbed of Dortmund, what more could you want on a young midfielder’s CV?
The 18-year-old Sergio Gomez was once described by Marca has ‘Spain u17’s very own Andres Iniesta’, and with his excellent technique, first touch and vision, it is easy to see why.
Sergio Gomez is at his best when played as a No 10, where he can pick up space and play in strikers or inside forwards, but the 18-year-old is also comfortable in a deeper midfield role, where his vision allows him to dictate play.
Gomez can provide balance on the left of midfield but if you’re looking to play him in that demanding role, some work on his fitness is required.
1. Paulinho (-9)
(Photo credit should read MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP/Getty Images)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Top attributes: Natural fitness, pace, bravery, flair, off the ball, balance
After an impressive 35 game spell at Vasco da Gama, in which he scored seven goals, Bayer Leverkusen shelled out £18m on Paulinho during the summer.
Paulinho is a right-footed winger, most effective when using his pace to cut inside from the left, before playing off the No 10 with quick one-twos and exchanges.
In typical, Brazilian style, Paulinho is very much a flair player and will look to use his skill to turn a defence inside-out, while his teamwork and determination show that he is fully willing to dig in for his teammates, rather than just getting his head down and running.
Given the fee that Leverkusen parted with for his services over the summer, Paulinho will not come cheap but as the most talented wonderkid in the Bundesliga, the 18-year-old is well worth the investment.
The post The highest-potential 12 Bundesliga wonderkids on Football Manager 2019 appeared first on Squawka News.
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