Football Manager has provided a worrying prediction of where Southampton midfielder Will Smallbone will be in five years time.
The Saints are famed for their incredible academy and the exceptional talent that it has produced over the years across the Premier League.
One of Southampton’s brightest young prospects at the moment is Smallbone, who has started two of the last three Premier League games for the Saints.
He could be the next top talent to progress through the ranks, following on from the likes of Gareth Bale, Adam Lallana, Theo Walcott and Luke Shaw – just to name a few.
So we took to Football Manager 2020 to simulate five years into the future from the start of the season in order to see where they think Smallbone will be.
The answer? Still at Southampton, but not playing the role some might expect him to.
Smallbone went on loan to Southend and Bristol Rovers in League One for two seasons, scoring eight goals in 92 appearances. He then joined Huddersfield on loan in the Championship and enjoyed an impressive campaign, scoring seven from midfield for the Terriers.
His career appears to have stalled in the last two seasons, making just 10 Premier League appearances for Southampton in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns combined.
Smallbone clearly struggled to live up to his potential and was unable to cement himself as a regular in Southampton’s starting XI.
Hopefully, he is able to avoid this career trajectory in real life and become a star for the Saints for years to come. If he is able to maintain his consistency whilst improving areas of his game, he could be a vital player for the Saints and Ralph Hasenhuttl in the coming seasons.
