Ireland's friendly with Italy over the weekend had a number of positives to take from what was a totally meaningless friendly in Craven Cottage, but despite these positives, the lack of a cutting edge in front of goal was again highlighted, which raised the question of who is going to provide the fire-power for the Irish teams of the future?
So in order to find out who the next big stars are for Ireland, we did comprehensive scouting and research which consisted of starting a career mode and simulating through a few seasons to take a look at who was in the Irish team, and who the most important players were.
While the likes of James McCarthy, Seamus Coleman, and Ciaran Clark develop to become the heart of the squad, a number of younger players develop into good Premier League talents. Here are the top 5:
5 - Jeff Hendrick - Derby County - Potential Overall = 78
Jeff Hendrick is a player many Irish fans have high hopes for. A number of confident cameos in the green jersey have shown that he has the talent to play at the top level, and at 22 years of age he has time on his side. The FIFA scouts also seem to rate Hendrick as he has a potential overall of 78, which is a solid Premier League central midfielder's rating.
4 - Joe Mason - Cardiff City - Potential Overall = 78
Joe Mason is a striker with a very good goalscoring record early in his career. With 11 goals in 24 games at U-19 level and 13 goals in 21 games at U-21 level for Ireland, and a successful second loan spell with Bolton Wanderers in 2014 where he bagged 5 goals in 8 games, Mason is someone who knows where the back of the net is. FIFA have recognised this, by giving Mason a potential overall of 78, which again would suggest a healthy Premier League career lies in wait.
3 - Aaron Doran - Inverness Caledonian Thistle - Potential Overall = 78
After failing to break into the first team at Blackburn Rovers, wide midfielder Aaron Doran found a home in Scotland with Inverness Cali Thistle. Having made 81 appearances for Super Cali since 2011, Doran is one of a number of young players with a high potential in FIFA 14 from the SPL. Capable of playing wide in a 4 man midfield or as a winger, Doran's potential rating of 78 shows that there is a high level of expectation around the Cork man.
2 - Robbie Brady - Hull City - Potential Overall = 80
Most Irish football fans will know about Robbie Brady. After receiving all sorts of praise from coaches in the youth system at Manchester United, Brady left for Hull City in search of regular game time. He played a key role in the club's promotion push in 2013, and then had an excellent first campaign in the Premier League despite having his season cut short through injury. Brady is definitely one to look out for in a FIFA Career mode, as his potential overall of 80 means he is seen as one of the future leaders of the Irish team.
1 - Jack Grealish - Aston Villa - Potential Overall = 84
By far and away the stand-out candidate for a future Irish star (in FIFA at least), Jack Grealish carries the highest potential overall of an Irish player. After a decent loan spell with Notts County, Grealish caught our attention this past weekend with a brilliant goal for Villa in Hong Kong. Pace is king in FIFA 14, and Jack has bags of it, here is hoping the 22 year old can kick on with Villa and make an impact on the Irish side in the near future.
While we know FIFA ratings mean nothing in the larger scheme of things, it's interesting to see who the scouts at EA Sports think have what it takes to make it at the top level.
