The best left-backs to sign in Football Manager 24

With Football Manager 2025 cancelled completely, 2024 is still the newest iteration of the game we all know and love. Here are some of the best young left-backs to sign on your saves.

At SCOUTED, we discover the future of football - turns out, that's a pretty useful skill for Football Manager. So we’ve compiled a list of players that can be defined as “wonderkids” in the latest game. A few of them will be familiar faces but others will, hopefully, be players you’ve never heard of.

They’re not necessarily the best; they’re players we like in real-life that look good in FM24. If you just want the list, here you go - here are the players we’re recommending you to scout and sign on your saves this year.

Who are the best Left-Backs (LBs) to sign in FM24?

Everyone needs a good left-back. Forget about Alphonso Davies and co, here's a selection of up-and-comers that will be long-term starters in your saves:

• Alejandro Baldé (FC Barcelona & Spain)
• Patrick Dorgu (US Lecce & Denmark)
• Lewis Hall (Newcastle United & England)
• Kevyson (FC Santos & Brazil)
• Björn Meijer (Club Brugge & Netherlands)
• Álex Valle (FC Barcelona & Spain)

Of course, SCOUTED is all about detail. The team's put together some short profiles for those of you itching for more detail. Read on, my friends.

Alejandro Baldé

Positions: LB, LWB, LW
Club: FC Barcelona (ESP)
Nation: Spain
Transfer Value: €64–90 million

Put simply, Alejandro Baldé is one of the best left-backs in FM24 from the off. Equipped with extraordinary athleticism, solid mental attributes, good attacking qualities, as well as the versatility to play anywhere down the left flank, the La Masia graduate is a world class option in a number of left-sided roles.

That comes at a premium, of course. Getting him out of Barça will be extremely difficult but, if you get the chance to sign him, jump at it. Baldé is the type of left-back that can elevate a team from good to great. His release clause? A cool €1 billion.

Patrick Dorgu

Positions: LB, LWB, RW
Club: US Lecce (ITA)
Nation: Denmark
Transfer Value: €7–11 million

A budget alternative to Alejandro Baldé would be Patrick Dorgu. The Dane has a similar skillset to the Spaniard: athletic and attack-minded, he’s the type of left-back that can dominate an entire flank by himself if needed. He’s a talented dribbler, passer and off-ball mover.

There’s plenty of room for him to improve defensively, but that will come with time and good coaching. You can’t go wrong for the €8 million it will take to sign him from Lecce. Move quickly though, because big clubs are interested in him from the start.

Lewis Hall

Positions: LB, LWB, CM
Club: Newcastle United (ENG)
Nation: England
Transfer Value: €26–33 million

Lewis Hall can be developed in a number of ways in Football Manager 2024. Some may choose to use him in midfield, making the most of his box-to-box abilities. We suggest you utilise him as a left-back, though.

Why? His 15 crossing is a big reason. He has the ability to be a potent attacker from deeper areas, hitting dangerous spaces from deep and wide. The sticking point with Hall is he’s only just joined Newcastle (and doesn’t officially move there permanently until 2024) but keep an eye on his status there and pounce if he becomes available.

Kevyson

Positions: LB, LWB
Club: FC Santos (BRA)
Nation: Brazil
Transfer Value: €10–16 million

Signed by Santos in 2022, Kevyson is a promising left-back talent in Brazilian football. You’ll have to pay a pretty hefty sum to sign him at the start of your saves, but bide your time and you may be able to get him at a cheaper rate in a year or two.

His FM24 profile is one of a high-level full-back in the making. He has everything you want from your wing-back: he can attack as a dribbler and crosses, defend as a tackler, and he has the mobility and stamina to make an impact on both sides of the ball.

Björn Meijer

Positions: LB
Club: Club Brugge (BEL)
Nation: The Netherlands
Transfer Value: €700k–7 million

Björn Meijer is a good option for mid-level clubs across the top-flve leagues in FM24. He has the skillset to play a lot of minutes straight away and the potential to develop into a long-term starter for your side. How much does he cost? About the €6 million fee that Club Brugge signed him for from FC Groningen in 2022.

He’s nothing flash, just solid. Meijer is a capable athlete and solid technician with a balanced mentality. He probably won’t win you games, but he won’t lose you them either. If you value solidity, then the Dutchman should be on your shortlist.

Álex Valle

Positions: LB
Club: FC Barcelona (ESP)
Nation: Spain
Transfer Value: €700k–7 million

Another La Masia graduate on this list, Álex Valle is a well-rounded prospect that has the potential to play at the highest levels in FM24. He defends as well as he attacks, providing a two-way presence down the left flank, equipped with traits (gets forward whenever possible, plays one-twos) that are perfect for an overlapping full-back.

Unlike Baldé, Valle is more than attainable. He starts on loan at Levante in Spain’s second division, which is a bit of a hurdle, but you can get him for about €3 million at the start of your saves. That makes him a great little buy for clubs at all kinds of levels.

What roles can Left-Backs (LBs) play in Football Manager 2024?

Left-back is one of the most interesting positions in Football Manager 2024. You can dramatically dictate your team’s play style by how you deploy them. The different roles are as following:

• Full-Back
• Wing-Back
• No-Nonsense Full-Back
• Complete Wing-Back
• Inverted Wing-Back
• Inverted Full-Back

Each role serves a very different function. Inverted Wing-Back has become a fan favourite because of its popularity at the elite-level of the real-life game. Similarly, the brand-new inverted full-back will also be a popular choice in FM24. 

The other four roles can be put on a spectrum from No-Nonsense Full-Back to Full-Back to Wing-Back and then to Complete Wing-Back in order of attacking intent. The No-Nonsense role will suit lower-level right-backs with poor technical ability, allowing them to focus purely on their defensive role. 

Full-Backs will still look to defend, but also offer width when needed as an overlapping runner. Wing-Backs will look to be more aggressive in all aspects of the play, while Complete Wing-Backs are attack first options that generally need to be supported by a midfielder that will stay deep and support them defensively.

What attributes are important for Left-Backs (LBs) in Football Manager 2024?

This is role dependent, of course, but generally the core aspect of a left-backs skillset will be their physical attributes. No-Nonsense Full-Backs will require strength, while the other roles all require good speed and stamina in order to cover the flank for a full game.

As for mental attributes? Positioning, concentration, decision-making, anticipation and off the ball are all crucial. Right-backs need to make so many choices about their positioning and how much they can commit to an attack without allowing themselves to be exposed defensively, while some of those other attributes are critical for final third movement execution.