• Manchester United striker one of six English players on shortlist • Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City also nominated as best under-21 playerMarcus Rashford, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé are among the 25 contenders to win the 2017 Golden Boy award, run by the Italian newspaper Tuttosport and awarded to Europe’s most impressive footballer under the age of 21. The prize, founded in 2003, relates to performances across a calendar year not a season, with the winner decided by a panel of 30 journalists. Among the favourites this time round are Mbappé, who joined Paris Saint-Germain on an initial loan last month after impressing for French champions and Champions League semi-finalists Monaco, and Dembélé, who now faces at least three months out with injury after completing his £97m move to Barcelona in the summer. David Squires on … Harry Redknapp and football managers' early-season troubles Read moreBut Rashford, who finished as runner-up in last year’s competition to Swansea’s on-loan Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches – will also be a strong contender after impressing for Manchester United. Ajax’s Kasper Dolberg, Gianluigi Donnarumma of Milan and Youri Tielemans of Monaco are among the other contenders to win the award, with the result to be announced in October.

Source: The Guardian September 19, 2017 11:32 UTC