/ Dan Fitch / 09 December 2010 / 3 Comments

Dan Fitch has sent his scouts out to find the best young talent on Football Manager 2011.

Unless you're in charge of Manchester City when you're playing Football Manager 2011, there will only be so much money to spend on established talent.

With that in mind, you'll have to plan ahead and that means snapping up the best young talent at a bargain price. To help you on your way, we've identified the 10 best young players to sign on Football Manager 2011.

10. Alphonse Areola - Goalkeeper - 17 Years Old - £1,000,000

The Paris Saint Germain keeper is heralded as the next Sebastien Frey by the media on FM11. Hopefully that doesn't mean that Areola will inexplicably never get picked by France.

Areola certainly has the right attributes to become a top keeper like Frey, with high marks for Aerial, Handling, Jumping, Balance and Strength. Get an experienced keeper to give him some tutoring and watch this young talent flourish.

9. Sime Vrsaljko - Right Back/Right Wing Back - 18 Years Old - £850,000

At first glance the stats of the Croatian full back Sime Vrsaljko might seem unspectacular, but he has all the physical capabilities required to make a mark in your first team, while your coaches apply a final polish.

Vrsaljko is like a young Gary Neville, only without the inbred hatred of Scousers. Available at under £2m, Vrsaljko has the talent to perform for you today and will flourish as the seasons pass.

8. Tom Cairney - Central Midfield - 19 Years Old - £1,400,000

The scout reports on Tom Cairney don't seem to reflect how good this player is when he's signed and put into your first team.

Cairney plays for Hull City and this left footed player scores highly for Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Composure, Creativity, Determination, Balance and Stamina. The young Scot has everything needed to be a great midfield playmaker.

7. Mateo Kovacic - Attacking Midfield - 16 Years Old - £500,000

If you can't afford to buy Luka Modric to pull the strings in your midfield, then Mateo Kovacic could be doing much the same job in a few years time.

The little Croatian schemer plays just behind the forward line and will cause problems for any defence with his ratings for Dribbling, First Touch, Technique and Flair. As Kovacic is only being paid £5 a week at Dinamo, you shouldn't have many problems in tempting him away.

6. Vaclev Kadlec - Striker - 18 Years Old - £1,000,000

For one so young, Vaclev Kadlec has the sort of impressive statistics that scream 'natural born goalscorer'.

Available pretty cheaply from Sparta Prague, Kadlec is fast, skillful and is a good finisher. At 5ft 11", he should also be able to play on his own up front.

5. Juan Iturbe - Attacking Midfield Left/Right - 17 Years Old - £550,000

It's always good to kill two birds with one stone, which is exactly what you can do by signing the Argentine winger Juan Iturbe, who is equally happy on either flank.

Considering that the general idea of a winger is that they dribble past their marker and deliver a dangerous cross, you'll be pleased to know that Iturbe has good ratings for Acceleration, Dribbling and Crossing.

4. Marco Verratti - Central Midfield/Attacking Midfield - 17 Years Old - £700,000

Definitely one to buy for the future is the 17-year old Marco Verratti from the Serie B outfit Pescara. Described as the next Andrea Pirlo, the young midfielder is only 5ft 5", but has got the class to overcome his lack of size.

Verratti is equally at home playing in a central midfield position, or just behind a striker as an attacking midfielder. He can be prised away from his club for as little as £1m at the start of the game. At such a low price, there's no excuse not to buy such an exciting young talent.

3. Phil Jones - Central Defence - 18 Years Old - £3,900,000

Having been given a valuation of £3.9m aged just 18, Phil Jones is not a cheap option until you consider that he can be your top central defender for the next fifteen seasons or so.

The 6ft 1" Blackburn centre back scores in all the right areas, with good marks for Heading, Tackling, Bravery, Positioning and Jumping. He's also fast enough and strong enough to go straight into your first team, no matter who you are managing.

2. Christian Eriksen - Attacking Midfield - 18 Years Old - £2,900,000

Martin Jol has compared the Danish starlet to the likes of Michael Laudrup, Dennis Bergkamp, Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. In FM11, Eriksen has the talent to support those claims.

The two-footed attacker ghosts past players as if they're not there, thanks to his powers of acceleration and dribbling ability. You should be able to buy the Ajax prodigy for around £6m - £7m.

1. Khouma Babacar - Striker - 17 Years Old - £3,800,000

If you were after a teenage strike sensation in FM 2010, the man to go for was Anderlecht's Romelu Lukaku. In FM11, Lukaku is still a top player, but suffers for having poor ratings for Agility and Stamina.

A better bet is Fiorentina's Senegalese striker Khoumar Babacar. There is no waiting around for this 17-year old to mature, as he is big and strong enough to score goals for you immediately.

Before long you will find that Babacar's stats are through the roof. If you're looking for a Didier Drogba type to lead the line, either on his own or alongside another striker, then Babacar could be the first name on the team sheet for a decade or more.

Comments (3)

1. Youth developement | 05 May 2011

   Good list.

   I usually have a few talents whom I all consider buying when starting a new game.
   Why you should consider them? All of these will be considered Own Developed after three seasons at your club.

   
   NB: Don't loan them out, let them play 10-15 first team matches a year to develope. If they go on loan they won't be considered Own Developed by your club.

   
   gk: areola £7-9m
   -Ochoa is a more affordable option, so it depends if you want an own developed keeper. Usually turns out a far better keeper, and can easily be trained to function as a top sweeper keeper.

   dr: serge aurier 12,5m
   -Expensive, but is already good enough to be a squad player at any top club in europe. Great wingback already.

   dc: varane £2m
   -Always a risky position to develope a player. But he turns out so good - you could mould him into any type of defender you need - and he's so cheap. If you have a good defence, keeper and anchor man around him, there is really no worries.

   dl: lucas digne £2,2m
   -Not as good as aurier at the start but he'll end up just as strong a wingback in your team, and he's 5 times as cheap.

   mc: zakaria labyad £2,5m
   -Future playmaker i midfield. Will do well with good midfielders around him. Incredibly cheap.

   amc/aml: thorgan hazard £3m
   -This is the most doubious buy on the list. Can turn out great or can have lot's of trouble settling in. As an mc, consider labyad ahead of him unless you need two midfield talents. As an aml, only if you don't have the funds for muniain.

   aml/st: iker muniain £9-11m
   -One of the best on the list. Don't waste his natural tendencies by playing him as a striker. As a left inside forward you run no risks, even if you make him first choice in you're starting eleven.
   His price will vary form game to game depending on his potencial. So even if you have to pay £11m, he'll turn out alot better than if you paid £9m.

   st: khouma babacar £10,5m
   Goes without saying, maybe the best investment you can make. You can mould his stats according to what style you want in attack. allthough he would appear as a natural number 9, I've often been able to make him a perfect false nine, opening off space for muniain to make unmarked runs toward goal.

2. Fergi | 17 June 2011

   your list very good for rich club or premier league club...

   this for lower league :

   Esben Hansen - Lyngby
   Leandro Lazzaro - Instituto
   Przemyslaw Tyton - Roda JC
   Rodrigo Melendez - Colo Colo
   Thomas Augustinussen - Salzburg
   Thomas Rasmussen - Bromdby
   Fatos Beciraj - Dinamo
   Jonathan - Cruzeiro
   Mariano Andujar - Catania
   Vitoras Catarama from Petrolul
   Joe Keenan - 5k
   Matt Watson - 2k
   Eddie Johnson - get for 12k
   Izzy Iriekpen - free

3. GOONERFAN | 16 February 2012

   a really good talent is eden hazard