SPORT Solanke nominated for award, Moses faces challenge for wing-back spot
Turin based sports daily Tuttosport has announced the nominees for the 2017 Golden Boy, an award for the best footballer in Europe under the age of 21. Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke is in the running for the prestigious award along with 24 other talented young stars. The nominees include Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan), Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Marcus Rashford (Manchester City), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona) and Joe Gomez (Liverpool).
Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi and Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho were nominated for the award in 2016, and this year Arsenal loanee Kelechi Nwakali and Everton loanee Henry Onyekuru have not been considered.
Eyebrows may be raised for the omission of Onyekuru after his breakthrough season with Eupen but Nwakali missed out on a nomination because he represented a second-tier club last term.
Previous winners of the award include Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Paul Pogba, Isco and Renato Sanches.
Meanwhile, Charly Musonda, the son of former Zambia international Charles Musonda, will challenge Nigeria star Victor Moses for a wing-back spot at Chelsea in the coming weeks, manager Antonio Conte has hinted. Musonda is predominantly a left and right winger at club level, same position Moses played before he was converted into a wing-back by the Italian manager a year ago.
Conte told reporters at yesterday’s press conference that a spot at wing-back is a possibility for the Belgium U-21 international.