The latest iteration of the most popular football video game in the world, FC26, is due to release imminently.
Although many gamers love the ‘Ultimate Team’ gamemode, there are still a large number of fans who enjoy the storylines and imagination of a traditional manager career mode.
Here is our list of the five best players from League One to sign in career mode, ordered by position.
Note that this list only includes players who are permanently contracted to League One teams, and that all stats are taken from the September 19 version of the FC26 database.
Teden Mengi
Former Manchester United youngster Teden Mengi is the first player on this list.
The defender has an overall rating of 72, making him one of the highest-rated players in League One. In fact, only Gabriel Osho has a higher overall rating than the 23-year-old.
Not only does he have a good initial rating, but Mengi also has excellent potential. The centre-back can grow to be around 79-rated, which should make him good enough to start regularly in a recently-promoted Premier League team.
His standout attributes make him an ideal defender for FC26. The Luton Town man has a sprint speed score of 83, more than Virgil Van Dijk. He is exactly six feet tall, which may be slightly small for some, but he has a jumping rating of 84, which should make him aerially dominant.
The main drawback with Mengi is the price that managers will have to pay to sign him. He is by far the most expensive player in League One, with a value of around £3.8 million.
In order to secure his services, managers may need to have another high-value centre-back in their squad who they can use in a player-plus-cash deal.
Andre Garcia
Andre Garcia is probably the best player to sign from League One in FC26 career mode.
The Reading player is just 17 years of age, yet he already has an overall rating of 63. When combined with his acceleration and sprint speed scores of 84 and 85, respectively, it means that he is already good enough to be used as an impact sub in the third tier.
Additionally, his value of around £960,000 means that he may even be attainable for League Two sides. A potential move to the fourth tier becomes even more feasible when one realises that Garcia is on just £450 a week, so wages will not be a problem.
Versatility is another trait that the youngster possesses. His default position is left-back, and he can play the inverted wing-back and full-back roles very well, but his rating could easily get boosted if he were retrained as a winger or midfielder on either flank.
However, the best element of Garcia is his potential. The English youngster can grow to a staggering 82 overall, which may even increase further depending on position changes, training, etc. This means he could be a player who works his way through the entire English football pyramid with one side.
Alex Robertson
At 22 years old, many managers may neglect Cardiff City’s Alex Robertson. But this would be a great mistake.
The Australian would be a solid pickup for any League One side in FC26 due to his overall rating of 68.
He would cost managers around £2.3 million, which is certainly on the more expensive side, though his wages are relatively modest.
The former Manchester City youngster has very well-rounded attributes that would allow him to play in any position very effectively, and he has excellent capabilities in both attacking and defensive midfield roles.
Robertson also has very good potential as, like Mengi, he could grow to be 79-rated. However, his sprint speed of 64 may mean that he is a player who managers look to move on once they reach the Premier League, so that they have more transfer budget to spend on higher-potential wonderkids.
Jayden Fevrier
The wildcard pick on this list is Stockport County’s Jayden Fevrier.
Unlike the other players who have been mentioned, the 22-year-old has neither an exceptional overall rating nor exceptional potential, though he rates respectably in both of these areas, with an overall of 64 and a potential rating of 72.
But where the League One man excels is in terms of pace and physicality. Fevrier is one of the fastest players in the third tier, with an acceleration score of 90 and a sprint speed rating of 91. This means he should be able to obliterate most opposition defenders using his pace.
He also has a stamina score of 82. This is something which often gets overlooked when managing in the lower tiers on FC26, as players may not be able to cope with the intense fixture schedule. However, this should not be the case with Fevrier.
The 22-year-old is capable of playing on either flank and can be picked up for just £1 million, meaning he should be within the price range of League Two teams. If enough focus is placed on his training, there is no reason why he could not be used off the bench in the Premier League.
Joe Taylor
Strikers are often the hardest players to sign. Both in real life and in FC26. But Huddersfield Town’s Joe Taylor is a great option from the League One talent pool.
The Welshman starts at an overall rating of 66. This should make him good enough to play in the third tier, or even for a well-financed team in League Two.
He would cost a fee of around £1.9 million, though his wages are once again relatively modest.
The former Luton Town man has the potential to rise to a rating of 76. This should make him a top-tier striker in the Championship.
But, he may even be able to play a role in the Premier League for one reason. His pace. Taylor is another rapid player, with a sprint speed score of 82 and an acceleration rating of 89.
This should mean that he is able to constantly make runs in behind when played in his favoured advanced forward role, in the lower tiers, and he could do it in the dying stages of a top-flight game.
