What happened to them? Football Manager 2014’s 8 Everton wonderkids
When Football Manager 2014 was published nearly a decade ago, things were looking up at Everton.
Under Roberto Martinez, the Toffees played some exquisite, though occasionally dubious, football in 2013-14. They set a club record for points in a 38-game season and finished fifth, just missing out on the Champions League.
It was an exciting moment at Goodison Park, especially with a slew of brilliant youth on the rise. FM2014 identified eight wonderkids as having high potential (through FMScout).
Everton fans are well aware of the club’s recent struggles, but what happened to its promising young players? We took a deeper look.
Stones, John
Stones was signed from his boyhood club Barnsley for a little amount of £3 million and quickly established himself as one of the top young defenders in the country during his time on Merseyside.
Everton turned down Chelsea’s proposals in the summer of 2015, but couldn’t turn down Manchester City’s big profit-making bid a year later.
Stones hasn’t always been one of City’s first names on the teamsheet, but he’s made over 200 appearances for the club and grown into one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenants. In their historic 2022-23 treble-winning season, he was nothing short of fantastic in his new midfield(ish) role.
Cash-strapped Everton will take solace in the fact that he is apparently earning an extra £2.5 million from his involvement in City’s Champions League campaign.
John Stones completed all SIX of his dribbles against Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
That's the most completed dribbles in a UCL final since Lionel Messi in 2015.
… HE'S A CENTRE-BACK 😳 pic.twitter.com/bZrUXtIkvh
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 11, 2023
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