Football Manager is extremely popular and has been an escape from real life for football fans across the world for decades.
The game has been on the go for 20 years now and releases an updated version every year. All that time the forums have been full of supporters discussing wonderkids and their potential. So, just for fun, we went back into our Steam library and downloaded Football Manager 2014 and set the game to simulate for ten years, bringing us in line with present day in real life.
We took a look at how the game expects Scotland to line up for their opening match of Euro 2024 and while quite a few players will be familiar to the Tartan Army there are plenty names who had fantastic virtual careers but didn’t hit the same heights in our world. Here is how FM14 thought the Scotland starting XI would look for their Euro 2024 opener:
(As anyone who has played the game will expect, the squad did feature a number of re-gens - computer generated players created by the game to replace real life players who age out. We did not include these players in our starting XI and replaced them with the next best player in the squad in their position)
5. LB - Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (simulation)
Moved to Derby County from Partick Thistle then after two seasons was bought for £2.4m by Liverpool. He made 15 appearances in his one season at Anfield before moving to Crystal Palace for £1m then, after two and a half seasons, went to Rangers where he has been first choice LB ever since | SNS Group
6. LB - Aaron Taylor-Sinclair (real life)
His clubs in England included Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle the he played for Motherwell, Livingston, Falkirk and now Airdrieonians back in Scotland | SNS Group
7. CB - Mark O'Hara (simulation)
Another who was signed by Liverpool, he had loan spells back at Kilmarnock then with Wigan before Southampton singed him for £5m. Since 2019 he has been with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. | SNS Group
8. CB - Mark O'Hara (real life)
Did play in England with Peterborough United but has spent most of his career in Scotland and was a stand out with St Mirren in midfield last season | SNS Group