James Ward-Prowse is top set piece specialist in Football Manager 2023

James Ward-Prowse has been revealed to be the top rated set piece specialist on 'Football Manager 2023'.

The 28-year-old Southampton midfielder leads the statistics of the top 25 players on the latest edition of SEGA and Sports Interactive's soccer management simulator.

For console coaches looking to improve their goal ratio from freekicks and corners other players to snap up include Kilmarnock's Daniel Armstrong, Orlando Pirates' Tapelo Xoki, Eibar's Ager Aketxe and Sharjah's Miralem Pjanic, who all make the top 10 for set piece ratings.

Surprisingly, Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi - who is about to lead Argentina in the 2022 World Cup - doesn't make the top 10 for stats, placed in 11th spot.

The top 25 penalty takers have also been revealed with Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski at number one, Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar at number two and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane in third place.

Other names in the top 10 include Romelu Lukaku, Raul Jimenez and Douardo Henrique.

'Football Manager 2023' is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, Switch, iOS, Android and, for the first time, Apple Arcade.

The release of the PlayStation 5 version of 'FM23' will be later than planned due to unforeseen complications which have arisen during the submissions and approvals process. SEGA and Sports Interactive will update on this matter at the earliest opportunity.

Visit Footballmanager.com for further information on 'FM23' across all platforms.

Football Manager 2023 top freekick specialists - Name, Club, Attribute Score:

1. James Ward-Prowse, Southampton, 20

2. Daniel Armstrong, Kilmarnock, 18

3. Tapelo Xoki, Orlando Pirates, 18

4. Leonardo Fernandez, Toluca, 18

5. Eirik Ulland Andersen, Molde, 18

6. Romulo Otero, Fortaleza, 18

7. Ignacio Malcorra, Lanus, 18

8. Ager Aketxe, Eibar, 18

9. Juan Fernando Quintero, River Plate, 18

10. Miralem Pjanic, Sharjah, 18

11. Lionel Messi, PSG, 18

12. Mohd Faiz Subri, Penang, 17

13. Iwan Murray, Chester, 17

14. Scott Tiffoney, Patrick Thistle, 17

15. Pedro Galvan, Balonpie, 17

16. Dylan Easton, Raith Rovers, 17

17. Gerald Tavara, Sporting Cristal, 17

18. Francesco Lodi, Catania, 17

19. Dan Spares, Maidenhead United, 17

20. Rene Lange, Carl Zeiss Jena, 17

21. Leonardo Baima, Richmond Kickers, 17

22. Cristian Ferreira, River Plate, 17

23. Adil Nabi, Atromitos,17

24. Juan Muniz, Atromitos, 17

25. Tomas Bastos, Operario Ferrovario, 17

Football Manager 2023 top penalty takers - Name, Club, Attribute Score:

1. Robert Lewandowski, Barcelona, 20

2. Neymar, PSG, 20

3. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur, 20

4. Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, 20

5. Raul Jimenez, Wolverhampton Wonderers, 20

6. Gabriel Barbosa, Flamengo, 20

7. Douardo Henrique, Henan Songshan Longmen, 20

8. Nestor Ortigoza, San Lorenzo, 20

9. Aaron Muirhead, Patrick Thistle, 20

10. Joel Coch, U.E. Valls, 19

11. Sandro Gotal, FC Montlingen, 19

12. Joe Jacobson, Wycombe Wanderers, 19

13. Reinaldo, Sao Paulo, 19

14. Nicolas Viola, Cagliari, 19

15. Raphael Veiga, Palmeiras, 19

16. Edenilson, Internacional, 19

17. Omar Al- Soma, Al-Ahli, 19

18. Ivan Toney, Brentford, 19

19. Fabio Quagliarella, Sampdoria, 19

20. Max Kruse, Wolfsburg, 19

21. Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad, 19

22. Eden Hazard, Real Madrid, 19

23. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, 19

24. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, 19

25. Gustavo Marulanda, Sorrento, 18

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