Six of the Best: Top-flight ready Championship youngsters on Football Manager

In the real world, tapping into the lower leagues can at times be the best way to strengthen a team accordingly and in Football Manager; that approach works just as well. On a modest budget, any team can look to divisions below the best in the country to improve a squad sufficiently. 

Here, we at WhoScored take a look at the best young talents in the Championship based on our unique rating system of those aged 23 and under as of August 1st 2019. We have previously counted down the best rated players in Europe's top five leagues of those in a set budget parameter and here, we look at six of the best possible young bargain buys from the Championship. 

6. Kalvin Phillips (Leeds) - 7.20 rating / FM Valuation £18.2m 

"I want to spend my career at Leeds," Kalvin Phillips mused late last month as he moved to distance himself from reports linking him with a move away from Elland Road. The young midfielder has been courted by a handful of Premier League clubs and while his admittance is a blow to interested parties, that isn't going to stop Football Manager users from tapping into his immense potential at the start of the season. 

Phillips is currently the sixth best rated current Championship player of those aged 23 and under on August 1st 2019 and while he has a hefty pre-season valuation of £18.2m, if you can boost his already impressive stats, then he is well worth the fee. On the ball, he's a handy player to call upon as he boasts WhoScored strengths of 'tackling', which backs up key ball winning stats on FM20, with Phillips rating 13/20 for tackling, 15/20 for bravery and 16/20 for aggression. 

5. Matthew Cash (Nottingham Forest) - 7.23 rating / FM Valuation £8m 

Matthew Cash's WhoScored rating of 7.23 is enough to make the Championship team of the season so far as the 22-year-old excels for this playoff chasing Nottingham Forest outfit. One of the best attacking full-backs in the league, it's helped Forest's push for promotion and boosted Cash's reputation outside of Nottingham and beyond. 

At his age, there is more to come from Cash and with a modest £8m pre-season valuation on FM20, his potential is one to tap into. He currently boasts five statistically calculated WhoScored strengths, including 'dribbling', and that matches FM20's 14/20 rating for dribbling for the full-back. The Forest ace has shown how effective an attacking threat he can be from defence and any manager in need of a cut-price offensive full-back should look to splash the cash on Cash. 

4. Ollie Watkins (Brentford) - 7.29 rating / FM Valuation £10.2m 

Ollie Watkins has scored more league goals this season (22) than he managed in the previews two league campaigns combined (20) as Brentford have excelled in their push for promotion. No team has scored more goals than the Bees (64) in the division, with Watkins, moved forward to spearhead the attack, superb following the departure of Neal Maupay for Brighton. 

Considered primarily a winger on FM20, Watkins still boasts a modest 13/20 rating for finishing, which goes someway to matching a WhoScored strength of 'finishing'. Brentford have a knack for picking up unknowns and turning a profit on players and in real life, that should be the case with Watkins. On Football Manager, meanwhile, he has a reasonable £10.2m valuation that may appeal to managers. 

3. Matheus Pereira (West Brom) - 7.34 rating / FM Valuation £5.1m 

Matheus Pereira starts the game on loan with West Brom, which is a stumbling block, but with the Baggies making the move permanent as of this coming summer, he makes the cut as a player to consider down the line. The Brazilian boasts a lowly valuation of £5.1m at the start of 2019/20 and while that should rise should Pereira repeat his real life form in the game itself, the 23-year-old is one to keep on the shortlist. 

Pereira boasts six statistically calculated WhoScored strengths, just one of which is deemed to be Very Strong. Dribbling is arguably his best asset to the midfielder's game and it is reflected in FM20. Pereira is rated 16/20 for dribbling, 16/20 for agility, 16/20 for technical and 17/20 for flair, those his four best traits on FM20. 

2. Said Benrahma (Brentford) - 7.40 rating / FM Valuation £11.5m 

Back to Brentford for the penultimate player in this list, Said Benrahma's WhoScored rating of 7.40 is the second best in the Championship this season. Like Pereira before him, the only statistically calculated WhoScored strength to Benrahma's name that is deemed to be Very Strong is 'Dribbling' and for good reason, with his 105 successful dribbles the second best in England's second tier. 

In FM20, Benrahma boasts returns of 15/20 for dribbling, 15/20 for technical, 15/20 for agility and 18/20 for flair, those his four best traits on the game, while 13/20 for finishing is respectable with the Algerian wing wizard chipping in with 10 goals for Brentford this season. What's more, Benrahma boasts a valuation of just £11.5m and it's a player of his ilk that would help your FM side to glory. 

1. Eberechi Eze (QPR) - 7.45 rating / FM Valuation £10.8m 

Coming in at top spot in this list is also the best rated player in the Championship this season. Eberechi Eze has shone for lowly QPR this season as his WhoScored rating (7.45) suggests, with his 12 goals and eight assists vital for the west London outfit. Eze has completed more dribbles (111) than any other player in England's second tier this term and the wing-wizard's exemplary return has seen him develop a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'dribbling'. 

In FM20, Eze's dribbling ability is reinforced by his 16/20 for dribbling, 15/20 for agility and 16/20 for balance. He is one of the hottest prospects on the game and while QPR would be reluctant to losing the attacker, Eze's pre-season valuation of £10.8m is affordable. Failure to take advantage of that early on could come back to haunt any Football Manager user, so it's well worth scouting Eze to a tee to determine where best he'd fit in with your XI.