Players on the flank can be the key to success on FIFA 18. Either supplying your forwards or cutting inside to shoot and goal, over the past few years they have become incredibly important. Players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and Marco Reus have transformed the left winger position into an almost inside forward role, becoming difficult to mark and scoring all sorts of goals. If you find someone with great pace you can have the luxury as well on FIFA 18’s Career mode, and if you can find a top player a handful of years before their peak, you are in for a fun ride.
READ: FIFA 19 Wingers: Best young LW & LM to sign in Career Mode
How to choose the best young player on FIFA 18’s Career Mode
We are looking at the best young left wingers (LW) and left midfielders (LM) on FIFA 18 Career Mode. These are players who will start the 2017/18 season aged 23 and under with overall ratings of 75 and over, with potentials of at least 82. These players can show flashes of brilliance and can go on and become consistent star performers.
Players do have the ability to outgrow their potential on Career Mode, but they have to be firing on all cylinders for a prolonged period of time. Young, promising players don't come cheap however, so be prepared to pay top dollar. Our top 10 has been compiled by looking at player stats, potential and age.
For a complete list of all the best young left wingers (LW) and left midfielders (LM) look at the table at the bottom of this page.
Yannick Carrasco (OVR 85 – POT 90)
Age: 23
Positions: LM, RM
Club: Atletico Madrid
Country: Belgium
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 91 dribbling, 91 agility, 89 sprint speed
Cost: £96.3 million (release clause)
Wage: £68,000
One of Atletico Madrid’s more understated players, Yannick Carrasco has developed into a certain starter for the Spanish side. The Belgian can play as either a left or right midfielder where he has racked up 22 goals and eight assists since joining in 2015. The 23-year-old has 20 caps for his country as he struggles to get regular starts behind Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Dries Mertens.
On FIFA 18 Carrasco has a superb 85 starting overall rating with the potential to hit 90. His best stats include his 91 dribbling, 91 agility and 89 sprint speed, which earn him the ‘Acrobat’ Speciality. Carrasco has a £96.3 million release clause and with his long contract you will struggle to get him for any less. His wages of £68,000 a week are very affordable for the big clubs, so if you want someone long term he is a realistic signing.
Julian Draxler (OVR 84 – POT 87)
Age: 23
Positions: LW, CAM, LM
Club: Paris Saint-Germain
Country: Germany
Work rate: Medium/Low
Best stats: 88 dribbling, 87 ball control, 86 shot power
Cost: £66.9 million (release clause)
Wage: £106,000
With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe joining in the summer, Julian Draxler has suddenly gone from regular starter to a regular on the bench at PSG. The German international only arrived in Paris halfway through last season, impressing with 10 goals in 25 appearances. Both he and teammate Angel di Maria face a crucial start to the season to show they still deserve to be given regular starts at the Parc des Princes.
The 23-year-old has an 84 overall rating with a very strong potential of 87 on the game. He also has 88 dribbling, 87 ball control and 86 shot power, with an unsurprising ‘Dribbler’ Speciality. The left winger and attacking or left midfielder has a £66.9 million release clause on Career Mode with wages of £106,000 a week.
Thomas Lemar (OVR 83 – POT 91)
Age: 21
Positions: LM
Club: AS Monaco
Country: France
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 88 dribbling, 86 ball control, 86 acceleration
Cost: £71.1 million
Wage: £33,000
Thomas Lemar was a signature away from joining Arsenal in the summer, but the 21-year-old elected to stay at Ligue 1 champions Monaco. The left midfielder scored 14 goals and 14 assists last season, earning him a call-up to the French national team. His brace for France in the 4-0 thrashing of The Netherlands highlighted what Arsenal would be missing this season.
In this year’s FIFA, Lemar has an 83 overall rating but with a stunning 91 potential. His stats include 88 dribbling, 86 ball control and 86 acceleration, giving him the ‘Dribbler’ Speciality. A £71.1 million release clause may just be worth bidding for, with the Frenchman’s wages only £33,000 a week.
Leroy Sane (OVR 82 – POT 91)
Age: 21
Positions: LW, RW, LM
Club: Manchester City
Country: Germany
Work rate: High/Medium
Best stats: 94 sprint speed, 93 acceleration, 89 agility
Cost: £62.2 million (release clause)
Wage: £110,000
One of Manchester City’s firing squad this season has been Leroy Sane, who has notched five goals in eight games so far this campaign. The German left or right winger and left midfielder will need to maintain his form with so much competition in the City squad, but the 21-year-old possibly has the highest potential out of all of them. After an initial settling in period in Manchester, Sane is now one of the league’s most feared wingers.
He has an 82 overall rating on FIFA 18, with an outrageous 91 potential. He has 94 sprint speed, 93 acceleration and 89 agility in his arsenal, with a ‘Speedster’ and ‘Dribbler’ Speciality. His £62.2 million release clause would be worth it by the second half of the second season, but you would still need to put up with his £110,000 a week wages.
Keita Balde Diao (OVR 82 – POT 90)
Age: 22
Positions: LW, ST
Club: AS Monaco
Country: Senegal
Work rate: High/Low
Best stats: 93 acceleration, 92 sprint speed, 89 ball control
Cost: £60.1 million (release clause)
Wage: £40,000
Keita Balde Diao finally got the move he deserved, joining Monaco from Lazio in the summer. The left winger or striker scored 16 goals in 31 league appearances last season as Lazio finished fifth in the Serie A table, indicating that he was ready to take the next step up. With Monaco losing so many talented players in the summer, can the £28 million Keita be the man to lead the Ligue 1 title defence this season?
The 22-year-old has a 82 overall rating with a super 90 potential. His best skills are his terrifying 93 acceleration, 92 sprint speed and 89 ball control. It’s no surprise he has the ‘Speedster’ and ‘Dribbler’ Specialities, and the Senegalese international has a £60.1 million release clause on the game. You may need to wait until the end of the season to sign him however, but he may be worth the wait with his wages on £40,000 a week.
Anthony Martial (OVR 82 – POT 90)
Age: 21
Positions: LM, ST
Club: Manchester United
Country: France
Work rate: Medium/Low
Best stats: 92 acceleration, 89 sprint speed, 88 dribbling
Cost: £59.5 million (release clause)
Wage: £101,000
After making a big impression at Old Trafford, things have gone quiet for Anthony Martial at Manchester United. He was for a brief period their premier striker, but he is now struggling for regular starts out wide. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the 21-year-old French international were to leave the Premier League over the next 12 months, with United probably keen to recoup the £45 million transfer fee they paid for him.
Martial has a £59.5 million release clause on FIFA 18's Career Mode, but combined with his £101,000 a week wages, it is a slightly risky move. Perhaps wait for his 82 overall to get closer to his 90 potential before making the move. His best stats are his 92 acceleration, 89 sprint speed and 88 dribbling, giving him the ‘Speedster’ and ‘Dribbler’ Specialities.
Gerard Deulofeu (OVR 82 – POT 89)
Age: 23
Positions: LW, RW
Club: Barcelona
Country: Spain
Work rate: High/Low
Best stats: 93 sprint speed, 93 acceleration, 93 agility
Cost: £61.4 million
Wage: £145,000
Even Everton fans aren’t sure if Gerard Deulofeu is or will be a top class player, and many on Merseyside were surprised to see him leave for the giants of Barcelona in the summer. The 23-year-old impressed at Goodison Park after initially joining on loan from Barca back in 2013, and a permanent move was made two years later. As the Everton squad grew in depth and quality Deulofeu struggled for game time, and his return to Barcelona came after a loan spell at AC Milan.
Spanish international Deulofeu receives a decent 82 overall rating, but his potential of 89 may be a touch generous. His strength is his movement with his acceleration, sprint speed and agility all rated at 93. He has a release clause of £61.4 million but you will have to wait until 2018 to make a move. His wages of £145,000 a week are probably too much of a risk for the left and right winger.
Bruma (OVR 81 – POT 86)
Age: 22
Positions: LM, RM
Club: RB Leipzig
Country: Portugal
Work rate: High/High
Best stats: 94 acceleration, 93 agility, 92 sprint speed
Cost: £37.5 million
Wage: £55,000
It was inevitable that RB Leipzig would make a big signing in the summer after a successful first season in the Bundesliga. They made an absolute steal in signing Bruma from Galatasaray for just £11 million, where he notched 11 goals and eight goals last season. At the age of 22, it’s time for the left or right midfielder to kick on and find his consistency.
On FIFA 18, Bruma has a very appealing release clause, but you will need to wait until possibly the end of the season to make a move for him. His wages of £55,000 a week also make him a very tempting purchase, for which you will receive a player with an 81 overall and 86 potential. His best stats are his 94 acceleration, 93 agility and 92 sprint speed, giving him the ‘Speedster’ Speciality, along with ‘Dribbler’ and ‘Acrobat’.
Raphael Guerreiro (OVR 81 – POT 86)
Age: 23
Positions: LM, LWB, LB, CM
Club: Borussia Dortmund
Country: Portugal
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 88 crossing, 86 agility, 85 crossing
Cost: £37.5 million (release clause)
Wage: £51,000
Formerly a left back, Raphael Guerreiro has developed into a left midfielder at Borussia Dortmund. The 23-year-old Portuguese made the move into midfield under former manager Thomas Tuchel, to add more grit in the middle of the park. Guerreiro, who can also play as left wing back and central midfielder, is currently on the injury table after requiring ankle surgery in the summer
On the game Guerreiro has an 81 overall rating with an 86 potential, made up by his 88-rated crossing, 86 agility and 85 crossing. If you are looking for more of a wing-back, he is the perfect signing, with a generous release clause of £37.5 million and £51,000 a week wages.
Julian Brandt (OVR 80 – POT 88)
Age: 21
Positions: LM, RM, CAM
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Country: Germany
Work rate: Medium/Medium
Best stats: 87 dribbling, 83 ball control, 83 sprint speed
Cost: £36.8 million
Wage: £43,000
Closing out our left-sided top 10 is Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt. The German left, right or attacking midfielder scored eight goals and grabbed three assists in the Bundesliga last season, but now needs to step up as he enters a critical phase of his career.
The Leverkusen number 10 has an 80 starting overall rating, with the potential to hit 88. His best stats are his 87 dribbling, 83 ball control and 83 sprint speed, which will cost you £36.8 million and £43,000 wages.
Other star LWs and LMs
Name | Age | Pos . | Club | Nation | OVR | POT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oyarzabal | 20 | LW RW | R. Sociedad | Spain | 79 | 86 |
Serge Gnabry | 21 | LM RM | Hoffenheim* | Germany | 79 | 87 |
Memphis Depay | 23 | LW LM | Lyon | Netherlands | 79 | 84 |
Sofiane Boufal | 23 | LW RW CAM | Southampton | Morocco | 79 | 84 |
Hakan Calhanoglu | 23 | LM CAM | AC Milan | Turkey | 79 | 83 |
Franco Cervi | 23 | LM | Benfica | Argentina | 78 | 85 |
Hirving Lozano | 21 | LW RW | PSV | Mexico | 78 | 85 |
M’Baye Niang | 22 | LW ST | Torino* | France | 78 | 85 |
Theo Bongonda | 21 | LW LM RW | Trabzonspor* | Belgium | 78 | 84 |
Mohamed Elyounoussi | 22 | LM RM CAM CM | Basel | Norway | 78 | 84 |
*Denotes players who are on loan
Looking for FIFA 18 young players in other positions?
Best young right wingers & right midfielders (RW & RM)
Best young attacking midfielders (CAM)
Best young central midfielders (CM)
Best young defensive midfielders (CDM)
Looking for FIFA 18 wonderkids? Just click the link below:
Midfielders (CMs, CAMs & CDMs)
Looking for free players?
Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2018 (First Season)
Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2019 (Second Season)
Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2020 (Third Season)
Contract Expiry Signings Ending in 2021 (Fourth Season)
Looking for other cheap high potential players?
Best cheap high potential centre backs (CB)
Best cheap high potential left backs (LB)
Best cheap high potential right backs (RB)
Best cheap high potential right wingers (RW) & midfielders (RM)
Best cheap high potential left wingers (LW) & midfielders (LM)
Best cheap high potential attacking midfielders (CAM)
Best cheap high potential strikers
On a tight budget?
Looking for tall players?
Want to boost your players' stats?
FIFA 18 Chemistry Styles: The Ultimate Guide
Which players are you going to sign? Let us know in the comments below.