Where are they now? Liverpool’s 6 Football Manager 2012 wonderkids

When Football Manager 2012 was released back in October 2011, Liverpool were nothing like how they are under Jurgen Klopp. 

The Reds finished eighth in the Premier League in 2011-12, but there was hope for the future as they had some exciting young talents on their books.

FM Scout picked out the six Liverpool talents with the elusive Football Manager ‘wonderkid’ label. Here’s how things have transpired for all of them, 10 years on.

After beating Neymar to the Best Young Player award at the 2011 Copa America, Coates arrived at Liverpool with a burgeoning reputation.

But he failed to establish himself in the team and made just 24 appearances for the Reds before being shipped off to Sunderland in 2015.

The centre-back later moved to Sporting Lisbon and famously conceded three penalties in one game in 2019 before being sent off in the same match. But he has since turned things around at the Estadio Jose Alvalade and replaced Bruno Fernandes as club captain in January 2020.

Coates helped Sporting end their near two-decade wait for a league title in 2020-21 and also won the Primeira Liga Player of the Year award. This season he’s captained them in the Champions League.

For some reason I thought of this Sebastian Coates banger against QPR pic.twitter.com/k1laqIKg5z

— Couch Nish (@CouchNish) November 4, 2021

A Rangers academy graduate, Wilson looked set for a bright future after winning the Scottish FWA Young Player of the Year award and the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2009-10. 

He joined Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool in a £2million deal but failed to make the grade at Anfield, making just nine appearances in all competitions. 

The centre-back was loaned out to Blackpool, Bristol City and Hearts before joining the