Sunderland's impressive £17m squad value compared to Ipswich Town & Lincoln City - according to FM22

The Black Cats currently sit fifth in the table after 15 matches, with an ongoing run of three straight defeats leaving them six points off top spot – albeit with a game in hand on the teams around them.

But based on squad values alone, where should they be aiming to finish this season?

Football Manager 2022 is just around the corner, and we took to the hugely successful game to check out how much each League One club’s team is worth in the virtual transfer market.

The football management simulation franchise has been wildly popular since it’s initial release in 1992 and is now played by football fans and professional players alike. ‘FM’ is also used as a player database by football clubs due to their worldwide scouting network of around 1,300 scouts which developers use to ensure full accuracy across the game.

The ‘beta’ version of the game was released recently, giving players a chance to play an early access period while the final aspects of the game are being finalised. The full version of Football Manager is released on November 9th.

For the purposes of this article, we looked at each League One club's in-game starting XI on the opening day of the 2021/22 campaign. In some cases, that might mean that the most expensive player in a side is actually on the substitute’s bench.

But how does Sunderland’s squad measure up to their third tier rivals?

Find out below…