Football Manager 2023 wonderkids: best young footballers to sign on new game - from Nottingham Forest to Leeds

Football Manager 2023 has arrived and football fanatics are scouring the globe to find the best wonderkids on the new edition.

Whether you are managing a team at the top of the Premier League or climbing your way through the football pyramid, signing a wonderkid can be one of the most rewarding experiences for any FM player.

Here we take a look at some of the best young talents to help give your team a head start on Football Manager 2023.

What are Football Manager wonderkids?

A Football Manager wonderkid is defined as a player with exceptionally high potential who is 21-years-old or younger.

Over the course of a few seasons, with the right coaching and with regular first team football, many of the wonderkids in the game become some of the most valuable and effective players.

After a few seasons wonderkids can prove to be some of the most important and talented players in your team or alternatively you can use wonderkids to make your club profit and reinvest it in other areas of the squad such as first team additions or training facilities.

Some of the most notable wonderkids from Football Manager 2022 include the likes of Bukaya Saka, Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga.

Who are the best wonderkids on Football Manager 2023?

Goalkeepers

In Football Manager, the goalkeeper is one of the few positions where you might benefit from having a little bit of experience. As you often see in real life, FM goalkeepers tend to peak slightly later than other areas of the pitch - so your best bet when signing a keeper can be to get one between the ages of 23 and 26.

However, if you are playing a long save in the game it might be advisable to have a wonderkid goalkeeper in the ranks so they can take the reins later in your save. Here are some of the best examples of young goalkeepers on Football Manager 2023:

• Gavin Bazunu - Southampton  (20)
• Julen Agirrezabala - Athletic Bilbao (21)
• Luiz Junior - Familicao (20)
• Stefan Bajic - Bristol City (20)
• Karl Hein - Arsenal (20)

Right Back

English football is currently going through a golden era of right backs with the likes of Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander Arnold, Kyle Walker and Reece James all thriving in the Premier League in recent seasons.

However, there are a host of up and coming prospects available for you to sign on FM 2023. When signing a right back it is important to make a note of their key attributes as some are more suited to an attacking style of play whereas others are better at sticking to their defensive duties.

Here are some of the best young right backs for Football Manager 2023:

• Jeremie Frimpong - Bayern Leverkusen (21)
• Neco Williams - Nottingham Forest (21)
• Tino Livramento - Southampton (20)
• Ethan Laird - QPR (21)
• Martim Fernandez - Porto (16)

Centre Back

In the words of Sir Alex Ferguson “attack wins you games but defence wins you titles” and that is exactly why it is key to sign a solid centre back if you are to dominate in Football Manager 2023.

In Football Manager it is crucial that you have plenty of squad depth to thrive with a packed fixture list and having a good young centre back can help stand your team in good stead for years to come. Here are some of the best examples of young centre backs on Football Manager 2023:

• Nathan Collins - Wolves (21)
• Tanguy Nianzou - Seville (20)
• Giorgio Scalvani - Atalanta (18)
• Antonio Silva - Benfica (18)
• Armel Bella- Kotchap - Southampton (20)

Left Back

Full backs are becoming an increasingly fundamental part of modern football and the same applies for Football Manager as they can often provide your team with crucial assists over the course of the season.

Here are some of the best young left backs on Football Manager 2023:

• Aaron Hickey - Brentford (20)
• Wellington - Sao Paulo (21)
• Rayan Aït-Nouri - Wolves (21)
• Nuno Mendes - PSG (20)
• Alejandro Balde - Barcelona (20)

Central midfielder

Midfielders play a key role in dictating the tempo of a game and there are a variety of different types of midfielders that you can use on Football Manager depending on your style of play.

Some managers will opt for a defensive midfielder to break down opposition attacks whereas others will look for a creative midfielder to unlock defences.

Here are some of the best young midfielders for both areas of the pitch:

Defensive midfield

• Amadou Onana - Everton (21)
• Andre - Fluminese (20)
• Eduardo Camavinga - Real Madrid (19)
• Romeo Lavia - Southampton (18)
• Tyler Morton - Liverpool (20)

Attacking midfielders

• Gavi - Barcelona (17)
• Archie Gray - Leeds (16)
• Hannibal - Man Utd (17)
• Carney Chukwuemeka - Chelsea (19)
• Jacob Ramsey - Aston Villa (21)

Wingers

One of the best positions to sign a wonderkid can often be the winger position. In Football Manager wingers can be the key to unlocking a defence and providing the flair and creativity you need to win a game.

The best wingers on Football Manager tend to have an abundance of speed and strong dribbling statistics so it is important to keep an eye on these when choosing a wonderkid to add to your team.

Here are some of the best left and right wingers on the game:

Right wingers

• Nico Williams - Athletic Bilbao (20)
• Bukayo Saka - Arsenal (21)
• Michael Olise - Crystal Palace (20)
• Marquinhos - Arsenal (19)
• Yaser Asprilla - Watford (18)

Left wingers

• Ansu Fati - Barcelona (20)
• Jersey Doku - Rennes (20)
• Giovanni Reyna - Borussia Dortmund (20)
• Anthony Gordon - Everton (21)
• Samuel Edozie - Southampton (19)

Forwards

A good striker is key to winning football matches and finding a good one on Football Manager is crucial to your team’s chances of success. Depending on your play style a good striker will need to have plenty of pace and strength. But the most important statistic to keep an eye on will be the finishing.

Here are some of the best young strikers on Football Manager 2023:

• Hugo Ekitike - PSG (20)
• Youssofa Moukoko - Borussia Dortmund (17)
• Goncalo Ramos - Benfica (21)
• Liam Delap - Stoke (19)
• Joao Pedro - Watford (21)