Discovering wonderkids in Football Manager is what keeps people coming back year after year.

But separating the contenders in FM24 is not straightforward. Sometimes a scout report will say a player has high potential but they do not often end up fulfilling those high hopes placed on them.

To help simplify your search, we have profiled two of the best young players (each aged 21 or younger) in each position, provided their attributes profile at the start of a new save and taken a look at what their stats might look like after five seasons.

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In no particular order, here are The Athletic’s picks for the best wonderkids in FM24.

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Lamine Yamal

Position: Right-winger

Club: Barcelona

Yamal became Barcelona’s youngest-ever player in La Liga last season at the age of 15 years and 290 days. His emergence as a must-buy is no surprise.

After five seasons in FM24, Yamal’s attributes make him one of the very best right-wingers in the entire game. He will be expensive to sign, but if you manage a team competing in the Champions League, securing his signature should not be impossible.

Yamal at the start of the game Yamal after five years

Antonio Silva

Position: Centre-back

Club: Benfica

If it’s not broken, then don’t fix it. Silva was on our list of the best wonderkids in FM23 and makes a triumphant return this year as arguably the best young centre-back in the entire game.

A transfer fee in the region of £50million is often enough, but if you do not wish to sign the Portuguese defender but still want to make a big splash, Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini is a nice alternative.

Silva at the start of the game Silva after five years

Karim Konate

Position: Striker

Club: Red Bull Salzburg

Konate is a great signing to make. He’s relatively cheap and often scores a lot of goals at a high level.

Securing his signature should not prove too difficult as he plays for RB Salzburg. That means a lot of Premier League teams should be able to get a deal done.

Konate at the start of the game Konate after five years

Rico Lewis

Position: Right-back

Club: Man City

Pep Guardiola has called him “one of the best players he has ever coached” and in Football Manager, the Man City manager’s high praise translates well.

Lewis is a dependable full-back, even if he may be a slightly expensive signing. He also has strong leadership skills and could be a strong captaincy pick after a few years.

Lewis at the start of the game Lewis after five years

Assan Ouedraogo

Position: Centre midfield

Club: Schalke 04

It is almost too easy to sign a wonderkid this talented in FM24.

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Ouedraogo begins each game on the fringes of Schalke’s first team and will not command a high transfer fee. After a few seasons he develops into one of the best young central midfielders, with strong attacking attributes.

Ouedraogo at the start of the game Ouedraogo after five years

Arda Guler

Position: Attacking midfield

Club: Real Madrid

Outfield players are ranked by 36 attributes in total. Guler has green attributes (rated 16/20 or higher) in 16 of those categories, which is pretty damn good.

His attributes after a few seasons are outstanding. If you use a formation that features a No 10, there is no better wonderkid to sign for that role in FM24.

Guler at the start of the game Guler after five years

Patrick Dorgu

Position: Left-back

Club: Leece (Salento)

Dorgu is reportedly on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs despite only breaking into Leece’s first team this season.

The Danish full-back is a potent attacking threat and, most importantly of all, he can be signed relatively cheaply at the start of a new game save.

Dorgu at the start of the game Dorgu after five years

Yeremy Pino

Position: Left-winger

Club: Villarreal

“Any Premier League team would have to fork out a substantial fee to lure him to England,” said David Webb when The Athletic asked the experienced scout how much Pino may cost to sign back in 2022.

The Villarreal regular is a wonderkid who should not struggle to start most games should you choose to sign him early on in FM24. He can be relied upon to register 10 goals and 10 assists year in, year out. Even though he will be expensive, he will be worth the outlay.

Pino at the start of the game Pino after five years

Tim Breithaupt

Position: Defensive midfield

Club: Augsburg

You will not have to break the bank to get Breithaupt, a player who can often be signed for less than £10million.

For a defensive midfielder, he has great vision and is a nice fit for anyone who likes to deploy a deep-lying midfielder within their formation.

Breithaupt at the start of the game Breithaupt after five years

Guillaume Restes

Position: Goalkeeper

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Club: Toulouse FC

The 18-year-old is already first-choice at Toulouse and has been called up to Thierry Henry’s France Under-21 side in real life. Restes is a goalkeeper on the rise.

At the start of a new game he may be too raw to start in the Premier League, but after a few seasons he grows into one of the best at his position.

Restes at the start of the game Restes after five years

Ousmane Diomande

Position: Centre-back

Club: Sporting Lisbon

Diomande is the best of a group of defenders that you might label as ‘tier two’ centre-backs in FM24. The players who fit this criterion may not end up being the very best at their position, but they will fall in the group just below the world’s best.

The Sporting Lisbon defender highlights a group of centre-backs which also includes Jorrel Hato, Caleb Okoli, Robert Renan, Illia Zabarnyi and Chadi Riad.

Diomande at the start of the game Diomande after five years

Valentin Carboni

Position: Attacking midfield

Club: Inter

Some people may have expected to see Florian Wirtz at some point, but Carboni develops into an excellent attacking midfielder in FM24 — and deserves highlighting ahead of Wirtz.

A skilful playmaker with an eye for a progressive pass, Carboni can unlock defences with ease and finish off chances too. A back-up option to consider is Eliesse Ben Seghir.

Carboni at the start of the game Carboni after five years

Badredine Bouanani

Position: Right-winger

Club: OGC Nice

Algerian international Bouanani is a player who does not have any notable weaknesses after a few seasons. He is a credible attacking threat, strong dribbler, has great vision and works hard too.

If you are unable to sign Bouanani, Swedish winger Roony Bardghji is a nice alternative — he can also be signed relatively easily as he begins each save in FM24 on the books of FC Copenhagen.

Bouanani at the start of the game Bouanani after five years

Ansu Fati

Position: Left-winger

Club: Barcelona

This may be one of the more obvious entrants, so I would like to apologise in advance for not unearthing a newer name here. But the reality is that Fati becomes one of the best left-wingers in FM24. It would be wrong to leave him out simply because he is already a big-name player.

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Cheaper alternatives include: Antonio Nusa, Jeremy Doku, Alan Velasco, Alberto Moleiro and Naci Unuvar.

Fati at the start of the game Fati after five years

Marcos Leonardo

Position: Striker

Club: Santos (SAN)

Leonardo is the striker profiled here because there are not that many standout wonderkids who are cheap and available to sign at the start of a new save in FM23.

The Santos forward is often willing to join for less than £20million, which is far cheaper than Evan Ferguson, Elye Wahi, Lorenzo Colombo and Vitor Roque.

Leonardo at the start of the game Leonardo after five years

Valentin Barco

Position: Left-back

Club: Boca Juniors

Alejandro Balde is probably the best young left-back in the game, but is harder to sign because he plays for Barcelona. Instead, think about making a move for Barco, a defender who is undergoing something of a Gareth Bale-like transition.

In FM23, he was listed purely as a left-back, but in this year’s edition he is comfortable playing further upfield and has a release clause of just £8million. Other wonderkids at this position include: Amar Dedic, Omar Campos and Quilindschy Hartman.

Barco at the start of the game Barco after five years

Dennis Seimen

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: VfB Stuttgart

At six feet two, Seimen fits the profile of a tall goalkeeper who has a strong aerial presence. His attribute profile later on down the line means he is a player worth keeping tabs on.

Seimen is not the only goalkeeper with high potential; Stefano Turati or Anatoliy Trubin are worth a look too.

Seiman at the start of the game Seiman after five years

Andre

Position: Defensive midfield

Club: Fluminense (FLU)

The Brazilian midfielder said he received an “irrefutable proposal” from a “club that plays in a big league” in the summer. It seems inevitable the midfielder will leave Brazil eventually.

Andre will likely cost around £20million to £35m to sign in FM24, so here are some other players to take a look at instead: Romeo Lavia, Adam Wharton, Eric Martel and Arthur Vermeeren.

Andre at the start of the game Andre after five years

Michael Kayode

Position: Right-back

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Club: Fiorentina

Kayode has the potential to become a wing-back with excellent statistics who checks all the boxes.

If you are not sold on him, here are some other right-backs: Ivan Fresneda, Vanderson, Nathan Patterson, Brandon Soppy and Tiago Santos.

Kayode at the start of the game Kayode after five years

Jude Bellingham

Position: Centre midfield

Club: Real Madrid

There really is not much to say about Bellingham that has not already been said. He is incredible and is only set to get even better. Who knew?

This article would not be complete if he was not included, but given that he will be very expensive, here are some other midfield options: Kendry Paez, Edoardo Bove, Pablo Barrios, Kenneth Taylor and Joao Neves.

Bellingham at the start of the game Bellingham after five years

(Photos: Getty Images)