Manchester United starboy Alejandro Garnacho has been placed on shortlist for the European Golden Boy award, as revealed on the club’s official website.

The news should come as no surprise – last season, Garnacho swiftly established himself as one of the best young players in the Premier League, scoring three goals and notching up a pair of assists in 19 appearances for the Red Devils.

Who else is in the running for the award in the Premier League?

According to the Golden Boy index, there are eleven other Premier League players in the 100-man shortlist for the Golden Boy award.

They are as follows: Harvey Elliot (Liverpool), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Stefan Bajcetic (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Evan Ferguson (Brighton), Julio Enciso (Brighton), Romeo Lavia (Southampton), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), Facundo Buonanotte (Brighton), Lewis Hall (Chelsea), Máximo Perrone (Manchester City) and Carney Chukwuemeka (Chelsea).

At the top of the list is Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala, closely followed by Jude Bellingham of Real Madrid in second and Pablo Gavi of Barcelona in third. The fourth and fifth slots are held by António Silva of Benfica and Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, respectively.

The highest ranking Premier League player on the list is Harvey Elliot, who lands in 14th place. Garnacho, meanwhile, occupies the number 32 position on the list.

There are a surprising number of players from Brighton on the list – they have three players on it in total (four if you also count Levi Colwill, who was on loan with the Seagulls last season).

What does Alejandro Garnacho add to the Manchester United squad?

Garnacho’s quickness and intricate dribbling are always welcome in Manchester United’s set up. Additionally, he also has a very high workrate – an essential attribute in Erik Ten Hag’s fastidious setup.

On top of this, he also has an eye for goal and shows great composure in front of goal – his vast footballing IQ is well beyond his years.

As such, he is a very valuable attacking asset for United. He will turn 19 in July – the young Argentinian still has plenty of room to grow and develop as a pro footballer.