Five of the Best Players outside of the top flight

Adam Lallana (Southampton)

An exciting attacking midfielder who has made one appearance for England Under 21s. Playing in League One for Southampton has enabled Lallana to develop his game, and he is midway through a three-year deal at St Marys. Creative with an eye for goal, Lallana can play in the hole behind the front two, which enables him to find the space to dictate games in a playmaker role. He can play outwide, but often finds himself drifting inside to have more influence on games. Certainly one of the best players to watch outside of the top flight.

Victor Moses (Crystal Palace)

A skillful left-winger, Moses has already caught the attention of the big clubs in England, as well as Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid amongst others. It's not only his technical ability that makes him so attractive to the bigger clubs, but his work rate, tackling and passing are also strong attributes to his game. He has been one of the stand-out players of the Championship season, and Crystal Palace face a fight to keep hold of him beyond the summer.

Simeon Jackson (Gillingham)

The pacy striker has caught the eye of a number of top clubs, while banging in the goals for Rushden & Diamonds and more recently Gillingham. Jamaican-born, Jackson plays internationally for Canada. He moved to Gillingham in January 2008 for a fee of £150,000, but his stock has risen somewhat since then, with some consistent performances and plenty of goals in the process.

Lewis McGugan (Nottingham Forest)

McGugan could be starring in the Premier League as early as next season, if his current club Forest continue their impressive form. The central midfielder has been used mainly as an impact player this season, but scored a wonderful goal in the recent win over Preston. Playing for his hometown club, McGugan made his debut at the age of 18 and his leggy running style, strength and goal-scoring ability make him a crucial part of Forest's engine room.

Jonjo Shelvey (Charlton)

At the age of just 17, Shelvey has already established himself as a first team regular at Charlton. He became their youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 59 days when he made his debut against Barnsley, and then became their youngest-ever goal-scorer when he scored against Norwich 55 days before his 17th birthday. A box-to-box midfielder, Shelvey is good on the ball and can also play as a second striker. He attracted interest from a host of Premier League clubs in the summer before committing his immediate future to the Addicks.

Alert an adminstrator about this content
Guidelines to User Generated Content on Carling.com

Click here for five-of-the-best archive.