10 Left Backs you must sign in Football Manager 2015

You’ve heard all the pundits say it: the full back has now become one of the most important positions in the modern game. Having a world class attack doesn’t matter if you don’t have a versatile and tough defence to supply balls back to them.And this task is no less daunting in Football Manager, with an enormous variety of choices and types of players to choose from, and it can just become a little bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back.Here’s a little cheat sheet to help you on your road to success. You’ll thank us later.

#10 Wendell

The 21-year-old has yet to make it big with the big boys but he’s a relatively safe investment. You may want to snap him up on a loan with an option to sign later. Either way, he is currently playing with Bayer Leverkusen and has been attracting attention from many other large clubs such as Bayern and Schalke.

You’ll want to buy him up as soon as possible, and the figure you’ll be wanting to negotiate on is about £6m.

#9 Andrew Robertson

The name of the game with this guy is untapped potential. Andrew Robertson currently plays for Hull City as well as the Scottish national team. He should be one of your first signings as manager. He comes off as a potential investment that could turn into a very amazing player given the right kind of training and environment.

As a 21 year old international, he should cost in the ballpark of £6m.

#8 Jetro Willems

Willems is a special talent. He was the youngest player to ever play in an European Championship -the Euro 2012. The Dutchman has been with the Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven since 2011 and has been playing regularly for them since.

He was since proven that his raw talent more than makes up for his inexperience as a young player. He has been attracting attention from large clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid so you should bid reasonably in the range of £10m.

#7 Jos Luis Gay

The 19-year-old has been a regular in the Valencia line-up so far in the 2014-15 season. He’s already played for Spain in the U17, U18, U19, U20, and U21 levels, and looks right in line to be part of the first team. He’s proven himself again and again and picked up so much cred that it appears that Real Madrid are now interested in him.

If Madrid does decide to get involved, it could get dirty, but otherwise you can expect to pick him up for £13m.

#6 Lucas Digne

The PSG man is an exciting young prospect for France. He’s already played for France in the U16, U17, U18, and U20 levels. Having joined PSG in 2013 for a large transfer fee from Lille, he has still not been able to earn a consistent first team place.

If he continues to underperform, PSG will no doubt start looking to cash out on a failed investment, but that does not mean that he won’t be able to shine elsewhere. The 21 year old has plenty of talent as proven by his fruitful years at Lille.

#5 Filipe Luis

The Brazilian international is as experienced a defender as anyone could ask for. He’s had plenty of experience playing in Spain and England, and has played in a number of major competitions. He’s known to be tireless and creative, and he is an asset to any team’s defence.

He was part of the team that won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. At 29 years old, he will be raring to prove that his best years are still ahead of him. Expect to shell out about £12m for him.

#4 Luke Shaw

Shaw broke Wayne Rooney’s record of highest transfer fees ever paid for a teenager. Another product of Southampton’s excellent youth system, Shaw has not failed to deliver on his promise as a star performer. At 19 years of age, he has a long and fruitful career in front of him.

If United decide to sell him, they will probably ask for nothing less than £21m. Any amount of money spent on him will probably be justified.

#3 David Alaba

The Austrian was the youngest ever to play for the national football team, debuting at the age of 17. If that doesn’t convince you of his potential, how about the fact that he’s been a staple of the Bayern Munich defence despite stiff competition from the likes of Philipp Lahm.

He’s made the UEFA team of the year twice in a row in 2013 and 2014, and has won many other honours. This 22-year-old has a lot going for him, and it will take a lot of cash to convince Bayern to release him.

#2 Jordi Alba

The Spanish international is a regular feature on the Barcelona side and has definitely proven his worth as a player. Quick and versatile, he operates in both the left back and left midfield position, doubling his worth to the squad.

At 26 years of age, he has already represented Spain internationally, being part of the Euro 2012 Spanish side which went on to win the cup. He was also part of the FIFA 2014 World Cup Squad which unfortunately crashed out of the group stage. He still has many good years left to come, and keeping that in mind, you should bid a minimum of £20m.

#1 Philipp Lahm

Lahm is considered to be one of the best defenders of his time and for a very good reason. The 31-year old has played three World Cups and is renowned for his skill in pace and dribbling, and also his game-changing tackling.

Even though he’s not the youngest footballer on the market anymore, he still has plenty to offer any club that decides to buy him, having placed 6th on the 2014 Ballon d’Or. A bid of £15m should be your first bid for Lahm.