Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford nominated for Golden Boy 2016 award

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is among the nominees for the 2016 Golden Boy award. Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, Manchester City pair Leroy Sane and Kelechi Iheanacho and Arsenal's Alex Iowbi make the 40-man shortlist released by Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

The accolade recognises the best talent under the age of 21 playing in Europe, as decided by sports journalists from the continent's most established newspapers. Anthony Martial claimed the award in 2015, becoming the third United player in history to do so after Wayne Rooney (2004) and Anderson (2008).

Rashford, 18 has enjoyed an extraordinary rise in 2016. An injury to Martial ahead just before a Europa League tie with FC Midtjylland in February saw him thrown into the first-team, responding with two goals on his senior debut. Three days later, he scored another brace on a thrilling Premier League debut against Arsenal. He netted another four goals during the final three months of the season, including a derby winner against Manchester City and a superb curling effort against West Ham United that booked United's place in the FA Cup semi-final.

That form was rewarded will an England call-up for Euro 2016 and the teenager scored within three minutes of his international debut in a warm-up game against Australia in May.

Under Jose Mourinho, Rashford has been a first-team regular since scoring a last minute winner against Hull City in United's third game of the 2016-17 season.

Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic, Leicester City winger Demarai Gray and Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek make up the Premier League contingent on the shortlist, with Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele, Renato Sanches of Bayern Munich and AC Milan and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma also nominated.

The winner of the 2016 award will be announced in December.

Complete list of nominees

Dele Alli (Tottenham), Asensio (Real Madrid), Leon Bailey (Racing Genk), Riechedly Bazoer (Ajax), Gabriel Boschilia (Monaco), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Fernandez Luna (Sevilla), Andreas Christensen (Borussia Monchengladbach, on loan from Chelsea), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ante Coric (Dinamo Zagreb), Amadou Diawara (Napoli), Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Monchengladbach), Danilo Barbosa (Benfica), Mousa Dembele (Celtic), Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Gabriel Barbosa (Inter), Aleksandr Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Gonçalo Guedes (Benfica), Demarai Gray (Leicester City), Marko Grujic (Liverpool), Alen Halilovic (Hamburg), Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Viktor Kovalenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Emanuel Mammana (Lyon), Nathan (Vitesse Arnhem, on loan from Chelsea), Olivier Ntcham (Genoa, on loan from Manchester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Renato Sanches (Bayern Munich), Jairo Riedewald (Ajax), Ruben Neves (Porto), Antonio Sanabria (Real Betis), Leroy Sane (Manchester City), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen), Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht), Almamy Toure (Monaco)