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Manchester United are currently the club with the most players in the top 10 Golden Boy rankings.
The Golden Boy is an annual award that crowns Europe’s best young footballer of the year. It was first established by Italian newspaper Tuttosport in 2003.
Nominees for the accolade must be under the age of 21 and should be playing in the top division of a European country, ranked in the top 25 across the continent based on UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
It’s regarded as one of the most prestigious prizes in world football.
Dutch legend Rafael van der Vaart won the inaugural Golden Boy award in 2003 while playing for Eredivisie giants Ajax.
Past winners include stars such as Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial.
Football Benchmark have ranked the 100 candidates for the 2024 European Golden Boy.
In the current top 10, United are represented by three players – Alejandro Garnacho, Leny Yoro and Kobbie Mainoo.
Garnacho is ranked in third position, just behind leader Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) and Joao Neves (Benfica). Last term, Garnacho was a crucial part of Erik ten Hag’s plans as he made 50 appearances across all competitions for United. In that time, the winger registered 10 goals and half as many assists.
Garnacho found the back of the net in the FA Cup final at Wembley as United beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
The winger also recently became a Copa America champion following Argentina’s win in the final against Colombia.
Yoro is currently ranked in fifth position, behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaire-Emery in fourth. United just completed the signing of Yoro from Lille in a deal worth £42m plus £10m in add-ons.
Widely regarded as one of the best in the business in his age group, Yoro helped Lille keep 15 clean sheets in the 32 top-flight games he featured in. The Frenchman and Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi are the only centre-backs in the top 10.
The other representative for United is Kobbie Mainoo (seventh place). Mainoo was one of United’s positive stories during a tumultuous 2023/24 campaign.
The teenage midfielder broke into the team in November following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an injury and he hasn’t looked back since.
The midfielder impressed with his silky, calm and composed displays which often placed him head and shoulders above some of his more senior and experienced teammates.
Mainoo enjoyed a fantastic Euro 2024 campaign with England, who unfortunately were beaten at the final hurdle by winners Spain.
Three of the top 10 favourites to win the 2024 Golden Boy award play for Manchester United:
🌟 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo
🌟 20-year-old Alejandro Garnacho
🌟 18-year-old Leny Yoro pic.twitter.com/5mko3zN37p— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 18, 2024
United may soon find themselves represented by four youngsters, considering the club are keen on getting a deal done for Neves.
Neves is believed to be a key target for United in their efforts to reinforce their options in the middle of the park. At the moment, PSG seem to be leading the race for the Portugal international but United can’t be ruled out.
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