Rashford absent from top three Golden Boy award nominees

The Man Utd striker has to make way for Gabriel Jesus, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the race for the under-21 players.

Jesus is the only Premier League name in the top three of the "Golden Boy" award.

According to Tuttosport, Jesus (Man City), Mbappe (PSG) and Dembele (Barca) are the three names in the final nomination round for the 2017 Golden Boy award.

This result surprised many people because Marcus Rashford had an explosive year in Man Utd's shirt. The English striker helped the Old Trafford team win the Europa League with important goals in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Mbappe is the brightest name for the title 'Golden Boy' thanks to his good form for both Monaco and PSG

However, the Man Utd striker did not make as strong an impression as his three colleagues. Mbappe and Dembele became the second and third most expensive players in the world in the summer transfer window of 2017. Meanwhile, Jesus started the 2017-2018 season in a spectacular way, scoring eight goals in the first 11 matches of the season.

Another reason for Rashford's absence from the top three is that he has not yet secured a starting place in the Man Utd squad. This makes the young English striker lose points compared to Jesus, Mbappe and Dembele, who always start from the beginning, if not injured.

Dembele is currently the third most expensive player in the world, after Neymar and Mbappe

In the top three, Kylian Mbappe is the most promising candidate. He scored 26 goals last season for AS Monaco, helping the team reach the Champions League semi-finals and win Ligue 1. He is currently on loan at PSG, and will officially join the Parisian club from the summer of 2018.

Gabriel Jesus has been in fine form since joining Man City in January, beating Sergio Aguero to a starting spot in Guardiola's squad. Ousmane Dembele is currently injured, but played well for Dortmund last season, helping the team win the German Cup.

The Golden Boy award winner will be announced in December.

According to VNE