Updated version: Possible Wonderkids of Football Manager 2027
Welcome to the Ones to Watch FM 19 series. Here we aim to introduce the young players who, as well as being able to go straight into our starting eleven, may have the most room to improve in the game, helping our virtual managers reach new heights.
Weston McKennie, 20 anos (FC Schalke 04)
In a country known for giving chances to young players, Schalke 04 is probably the club that contributes most to that reputation. With one of the best football academies in the world, the Knappenschmiede, and with a scouting reach only the best can match, it is this combination that makes Schalke so dominant in German youth football, having given the world names like Mesut Özil, Manuel Neuer, Julian Draxler and Leroy Sané. However, it is a young American who has been making headlines lately: Weston McKennie.
At the Gelsenkirchen club since 2016, McKennie did much of his youth development at FC Dallas, eventually turning down a professional contract with the MLS club and heading for Germany. After several excellent performances in his first season, he was offered a five-year professional contract and made his Schalke first team debut in 2017, playing 34 official games to date in the shirt of Königsblauen.
Versatile and able to play in midfield or at centre back, it's as a number 6 that he looks most at home. Able to break up play in front of his defence, the young American also has the athletic and technical ability to carry the ball, trying to break the opposition's pressing lines, and to distribute it to the more creative midfielders, a kind of N'Golo Kanté, but tall and 20 kilos heavier.
Although he still needs to improve on the ball, McKennie is already a tremendously complete player, especially for his age. However, it would be interesting if he could develop a good long range shot, giving another dimension to Schalke 04's attacking play.
With Leon Goretzka's move to Bayern, the American is expected to be able to cement his starting place in Domenico Tedesco's team.
Dennis Geiger, 20 anos (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
After Sebastian Rudy's move to Bayern, Julian Nagelsmann's orchestra lost its conductor, the one who controlled the tempo, who played and made others play. How could this loss be made up? Along came Dennis Geiger ("Geiger" means violinist in German).
At the club since he was 11, Geiger already has plenty of experience working with the wonder manager and in his system (together they won the regional under-19 title, with Geiger playing the role that would later be Rudy's), and it was this experience that let the young German land on his feet in the German top flight, without affecting Hoffenheim's style and quality of play.
To succeed in deeper midfield positions, players need good technique, good positioning and the ability to cover large areas of the pitch, and Geiger has all of those attributes in abundance. An excellent passer, with 88% of his passes finding a teammate, it is his tactical intelligence that stands out as above average, especially for such a young player, "He is comfortable on the ball and has the aggression needed; he isn't afraid to make tactical fouls" Nagelsmann said after a win over Schalke 04. His calm and composure were on show against the biggest German clubs; that's when Geiger managed to raise his game at the base of midfield, with two wins in three games against Leverkusen, Schalke and RB Leipzig.
Despite all his qualities, Geiger disappoints when you look at the cards he received, especially at the start of the season, with 7 yellow cards in his first 9 games, but he improved, receiving only 2 in the next 10 games. His athleticism leaves something to be desired, but with his technical qualities I don't see this as a problem that can't be overcome.
A thigh injury forced the German out for 7 months; he is currently in recovery, but once he's fit he can be expected to return to Nagelsmann's plans.
Sandro Tonali, 18 anos (Brescia Calcio)
"Tonali is going to be a great player. I don't want to make comparisons, but in the dynamics of play he has something special, like Pirlo", that is how Roberto Boscaglia described his young midfielder after a game, and it is how most of the people in charge at big Italian clubs describe Sandro Tonali.
Tonali began his youth development at Piacenza, but when the club went bankrupt in 2012 he had to find another home, which he found at Brescia. Recognising his talent, Brescia's youth coaches decided to move him, taking him from further forward, where he played as a second striker or number 10, to the pivot role in front of the defence. In fact, this is another thing we can use when comparing the young midfielder to Maestro, the latter having been moved to deeper positions when Roberto Baggio arrived at Brescia in 2000.
His whole youth development was spent against older players, especially when he reached the top junior level aged only 16, but that didn't stop him impressing, and he made his professional debut at the end of 2017, against Avellino, in a season that ended with the youngster playing 19 games, with 2 goals and 2 assists. At the end of that season he was also a runner-up at the Under-19 Euros, in a final Italy lost 3-4 to Portugal, and was named in the team of the tournament.
His quality shows when he has the ball at his feet, capable of either a quick one-touch short pass or lifting his head and releasing a player a good 30 metres away, showing off his technique and vision. Unlike Pirlo, and given the new demands of modern football, Tonali is very good at pressing opponents, isn't afraid of physical contact and wins plenty of balls back through interceptions.
Lack of experience really is his biggest problem, and with European football's big clubs already after him (Juventus already have him on their radar and there is a reported 20 million offer from Chelsea on the table), it would be a shame to see this player end up as a mere backup or rotation player, something that happened to Pirlo when he was at Inter Milan. Even so, if all goes well, Tonali will certainly have a great future ahead of him.
Honourable mentions: Brandon Baiye (Club Brugge), Florentino Luís (SL Benfica), Cláudio Gomes (Manchester City FC)
