Football Manager 2017: Top ten wonderkid goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and strikers

Up-and-coming U23s ranked by potential in Sports Interactive's latest footy management sim.

Does Manchester United's Anthony Martial make the cut of the best wonderkids in Football Manager 2017? Getty Images

For the casual player, flashing the cash in a desperate bid to draw Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero or Cristiano Ronaldo to your club is part and parcel of the wish-fulfilment fantasy that drives Sports Interactive's Football Manager series, and FM17 is no different.

More seasoned dugout dwellers, however, know that there is more gratifying path: scouting teams from across the globe to find the players with the highest Potential Ability, the upcoming generation of world class players - the "wonderkids".

Here we countdown the top ten wonderkids for each position - Goalkeeper, Defense, Midfield and Striker/Forward – based on their current ability level weighed up against their starting value, availability and hidden potential ability stats.

Some may seem obvious, others less so, but they could all happily fit into your starting XI and go on to become bona fide club legends.

To find all of those listed make sure you selected the "big" database when starting a new game, and be aware that each player's growth will depend on random factors and your own decisions as the seasons go by.

While we cannot guarantee any of the U23 players below will flourish into world class champions in real life (see also: Freddy Adu, Cherno Samba, Justin Georcelin...), these starlets are all worthy additions to your team in the world of Miles Jacobson.