Everton youngster Tom Davies is one of a host of Premier League talents on the shortlist for this year’s Golden Boy award.
The gong is given to the finest young player in Europe, with former winners of the trophy including Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Paul Pogba.
20-year-old Davies is one of four English talents on the list, along with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon and Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
Other Premier League representatives include City’s Brahim Diaz, Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot, Tottenham’s Juan Foyth and Wolves’ Ruben Vinagre. Celtic star Odsonne Edouard also made the cut.
However, the likelihood of any of the above players taking home the award seems unlikely given the presence of last year’s winner Kylian Mbappe on the shortlist.
OPINION
Davies is probably the most surprising of the four English entrants on the list. Although the most experienced in terms of top flight football, his rise has been somewhat under the radar compared to that of Messrs Alexander-Arnold, Sessegnon and Foden. But he’s been a solid contributor for the Toffees for a couple of seasons now, providing a good range of passing and much tenacity to Marco Silva’s side. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he’s on the shortlist, but somehow it is. It’ll be a good confidence boost for him, though, as he looks to push on and cement himself as an Everton regular. That’s the next challenge for him, as he’s been in and out of the team since making his debut. None of our English quartet are likely to take home the trophy of course, as with Mbappe involved there isn’t much argument for anybody else winning it. The Paris Saint-Germain star was outstanding in France’s World Cup win this summer so he undoubtedly deserves the gong. However, it’s encouraging to see a few English faces on the list.