Full backs have the strangest duties in any football team. You can get along fine without ploughing major money into superstars, but a pair of top full backs can transform your team into a stinging force. They can be used to defend, support when the pressure is off, or go into full-blown attack mode to inject some pace and width into the team. World class right backs are an endangered species right now, though there are still plenty of top options such as Philipp Lahm and Dani Alves. Then you have the likes of Pablo Zabaleta and Branislav Ivanovic who have been tremendous but haven't made the same impact this season. Still, all of those players will take an immense bid and even more ludicrous wages to land, but why bother with them when you can invest in younger models and watch them flourish into immense talents. This list is a mix of ready-made stars, exciting wonderkids and shrewd bargains to help you solidify a position which, if used correctly, can be vital.
20. Gregory Van Der Wiel
Value: £9.75m Wage: £55k p/w Gregory Van Der Wiel is an old name for most Football Manager players, and while he's not the young starlet he once was, at 27 there's still plenty in the tank. He's remarkably easy to poach from PSG considering how proven he is at the top level. His stats are solid, and he'll be a solid base, but the following prospects may breed more success if given time...