FIFA 14 Future Stars - Part 2

Football journalist and FIFA fan Darren Cross is back with another 20 wonderkids to sign up in FIFA 14's Career Mode...

Hopefully you caught the first part of Future Stars last week, when we looked at 20 young players with great potential in Career Mode. If not you can find it here: http://www.ea.com/uk/news/fifa-14-future-stars

This time we've got another 20 and, just like the stars we've already covered, all of these players have a potential Overall rating of 85 or more. You'll need to be patient with lots of them as many aren't available right away due to being recent signings in real life, or because their clubs have sent them out on loan, but I’ve included them anyway because they’re too good to miss out on.

So take a look, sign up the ones you can, shortlist those that you can't and remember to negotiate; selling clubs generally start high when you make the first enquiry but will usually drop the price significantly in the end, saving you extra cash.

ANTHONY MARTIAL
ST * Monaco * 17
STARTING OVR: 63
POTENTIAL OVR: 87
Monaco striker Martial has the biggest growth potential of all 40 players in this Future Stars series, climbing a jumbo 24 Overall if he plays regularly. He only recently joined Monaco so you won't be able to sign him straight away, but you should still be able to get him for less than £1 million when Monaco are ready to negotiate. He becomes a very good finisher but actually feels pretty good to use early on despite the low starting Overall, as he's quick and strong.

MARQUINHOS
CB * PSG * 19
STARTING OVR: 78
POTENTIAL OVR: 89
When you can get PSG to sell Brazilian defender Marquinhos – he only joined them last summer – that's one of your centre-back slots sorted for at least the next 12 seasons or more, he is that good. Right from the start Marquinhos is quick and a good tackler, and with a potential Overall of 89 those key stats are only heading one way... up. He cost me £17 million in season two but you may be able to buy him for less.

KURT ZOUMA
CB * Saint-Etienne * 18
STARTING OVR: 74
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
If you manage to sign Marquinhos AND Saint-Etienne’s Kurt Zouma then you really won’t have to think about the centre of your defence for a very long time. Just like the PSG man, Zouma feels good enough to use straight away with pretty much any team, thanks to his pace, power, tackling and aerial abilities, which all grow significantly over time. And there’s more good news… you won’t have to wait to sign him as long as you’ve got at least £5.5 million to spend.

ADEM LJAJIC
LW * Roma * 21
STARTING OVR: 79
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
Ljajic won't be cheap when you sign him – again he's a player that's been on the move recently so his new club Roma won't talk cash for a while – but he is absolutely worth every penny. A winger that can play just as effectively through the centre, Ljajic is quick, agile and a great dribbler that can also make goals with clever passes. He can score them too – the Roma wonderkid has good Finishing, Long Shots and takes a mean free-kick. In short, buy him as soon as you can.

LEON GORETZKA
CM * Schalke * 18
STARTING OVR: 68
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
Goretzka is another promising young player you'll have to wait a while for, but you shouldn't need bags of money in reserve to sign him up when Schalke are ready to sell. He's an all-rounder able to play in almost any of the midfield positions effectively, and once you get him in your team and performing well you should notice his key stats, like Ball Control and both of the passing attributes, improve very quickly.

VIKTOR FISCHER
LW * Ajax * 19
STARTING OVR: 74
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
Here's a player you can sign straight away, and I highly recommend you do exactly that if you're after a talented winger that will improve both his Overall rating and his transfer value pretty quickly. Ajax asked for £10 million from me in my first season but accepted £7.2 million after a fairly long negotiation, and that's a very good price for a player of Fischer's current and potential ability. He's got enough pace to beat markers, he's an excellent dribbler and he's not a bad finisher either. If you buy him to play on the left wing then keep in mind that he's right footed, so it may be tougher to feed your strikers with quick, accurate crosses as consistently as you would with a lefty.

CLEMENT GRENIER
CAM * Lyon * 22
STARTING OVR: 78
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Lyon really didn't want me to have Grenier. At first they wouldn't budge from their asking price of £15 million so negotiating with them took a while before they eventually let me sign him for £11.5 million. That's still good price if you're looking for a classy creative midfielder, and Grenier will go on to be worth loads more than that. He's great at making chances for strikers thanks to his very high Vision, Short Pass and Long Pass, and he feels good in possession due to decent Ball Control and Dribbling attributes. He's also a threat from distance in open play and from free-kicks.

FERNANDO
CDM * FC Shakhtar * 21
STARTING OVR: 76
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Shakhtar have become my favourite team to use online in Seasons mode recently, as their squad is well balanced and packed with talented players that feel great to use. Holding midfielder Fernando is definitely one of those. He's quick for a CDM – Shakhtar won't sell straight away so by the time you sign him his Acceleration and Sprint Speed should be in the 80s – and wins the ball back a lot with his Strength and Interceptions. The Brazilian midfielder can help out at the other end of the pitch too, as his Vision and Short Pass attributes are also good.

AHMED MUSA
ST * CSKA Moscow * 20
STARTING OVR: 76
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
You won’t find many strikers that are quicker than CSKA’s Ahmed Musa. He combines that explosive Acceleration with good Agility, Balance and Dribbling, which makes him feel very responsive with the ball at his feet. He’s also got great Finishing and can do four star skill moves, but all that doesn’t come cheap. CSKA demanded £16.5 million from me when I sent my first enquiry, but took £11.5 million after a couple of rounds of negotiation.

ISHAK BELFODIL
ST * Inter * 21
STARTING OVR: 75
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Belfodil could be the perfect partner for a smaller, faster striker like Musa, as he’s the total opposite. 6ft 4in tall and incredibly strong, the Inter wonderkid holds the ball up really well and has some good technical abilities that allow him to keep possession and bring others into play easily. He’s a pretty good dribbler and can finish too, so he’s very capable of going for goal himself. Unfortunately for us Career Mode gaffers he hasn’t been with Inter that long, so he’s another player you’ll have to wait to sign permanently. I have been able to get him in on loan in previous saves though.

JUAN FERNANDO QUINTERO
CAM * FC Porto * 20
STARTING OVR: 78
POTENTIAL OVR: 86
Porto’s Quintero is a fantastic left-footed advanced playmaker that feels brilliant to use. He’s got great Balance and Dribbling, good Vision and can score goals from distance thanks to high ratings for Long Shot and Shot Power. He’s also a threat from free-kicks and can do four star skill moves, so it’s no surprise that Porto will probably make you pay somewhere around £15 million when they’re ready to sell.

OLA JOHN
LM * Benfica * 21
STARTING OVR: 77
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
John is a fantastic crosser so I tend to use him on the right rather than the left, where I can make the most of that ability by having him whip the ball in with his strongest foot. He’s very quick, a good dribbler and can do four star skill moves, so beating your marker with him shouldn’t be too tough. Benfica asked for £9 million at first but took £6 million in one of my saves, which is a real bargain for a player of his current ability, not to mention his potential Overall.

GIANNELLI IMBULA
CDM * Marseille * 20
STARTING OVR: 74
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Imbula is a powerful holding midfielder that also has the physical and technical abilities to be a threat in attack. He’s quick for a CDM and should be even faster by the time Marseille will sell him – he’s another recent signing – plus he’s a strong dribbler and can pick out his team-mates with good passes. With a potential growth of 11 you should find he quickly becomes worth a lot more than you paid for him.

NICOLA LEALI
GK * Juventus * 20
STARTING OVR: 72
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Leali is a young goalkeeper that I always signed in FIFA 13’s Career Mode, and he’s still one of the first names I add to my shortlist in the new game. He can’t be bought or loaned at first as he’s already on loan at La Spezia from Juventus, but when you do buy him you’ll be getting a keeper with great Reflexes and good Diving that will improve very nicely.

CRISTIAN BONILLA
GK * Atletico Nacional * 20
STARTING OVR: 74
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
If you do need to sign a quality keeper straight away then head over to Colombia and make an offer for Bonilla. Like Leali he’s also got great Diving, Reflexes and can grow into an 85-rated GK, but you can buy this guy early on for a bargain price. He only has a year left on his contract at the start of the game so you should be able to pick him up for £3 million. After one successful season with my PSV team I could have sold Bonilla for £14 million.

YASSINE BENZIA
ST * Lyon * 18
STARTING OVR: 67
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Continuing the bargain theme, here’s Lyon’s Yassine Benzia. Thanks to an Overall of 67 at the start of the game you’ll only have to pay around £1.4 million to sign the striker, who has a potential growth of 18. Although not lightning-fast he’s quick enough to get away from markers, plus he’s a good dribbler and will become an excellent finisher. Sign him up while his price is low.

LUCAS PIAZON
LM * Chelsea * 19
STARTING OVR: 73
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Piazon is another future star out on loan who is definitely worth the wait. He’s a left winger that can also play just behind the strikers, and that’s where I mostly like to use him. He’s got good passing ability, four star skills and should be pretty quick by the time his loan deal at Vitesse ends.

LUCIANO VIETTO
ST * Racing Club * 19
STARTING OVR: 72
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Vietto bagged the perfect hat-trick – right foot, left foot and head – on his debut for my PSV team and has been a regular in the starting line-up ever since. Although he’s quick the striker doesn’t feel especially explosive with the ball at his feet, but he’s a good goalscorer who can find the net from inside or outside the box. I paid £6 million but was in a bit of a rush to get a good forward in, so you may be able to sign him for a little less.

TONNY VILHENA
CM * Feyenoord * 18
STARTING OVR: 73
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Feyenoord midfielder Vilhena is an energetic all-rounder. He’s quick enough to make a difference in defence and attack, comfortable with the ball at his feet and has the Vision to pick team-mates out with quality passes. He’s also scored a lot of goals from around the edge of the area for me so keep that in mind if you do buy him, which should cost you no more than £5 million at the start of the game.

LUKE SHAW
LB * Southampton * 17
STARTING OVR: 70
POTENTIAL OVR: 85
Southampton left-back Luke Shaw is one of the best bargains here – The Saints asked for just under £4 million when I made an enquiry for him and accepted an offer of £2.8 million in the end. With a potential growth of 15 that’s an incredible price, and you’ll feel comfortable putting Shaw straight into your team as he’s quick, a good dribbler and makes a lot of goals with his excellent crosses.

So that's the full 40, I hope you manage to sign plenty of them up as they're guaranteed to be top players who will all make you a good profit if you decide to sell after a season or two.

There are many more great young players in the game, so if you’ve spotted any that I haven't mentioned here please comment below or tweet me @darren_cross so other CM managers can pick them up too.

Thanks for reading, and please come back next week when we'll be looking at FUT 14's Chemistry Styles.

Thanks for reading,
@darren_cross.