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Three favourites to win the 2017 Golden Boy award

By Benjamin Barkworth

SWANSEA, WALES - SEPTEMBER 10: Renato Sanches of Swansea City arrives prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Newcastle United at Liberty Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - SEPTEMBER 10: Renato Sanches of Swansea City arrives prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Newcastle United at Liberty Stadium on September 10, 2017 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images. /

Kylian Mbappé

The favourite has to be Mbappé after his amazing breakthrough campaign which thrust him in to the spotlight. Monaco were the most exciting team in Europe with their perfect mixture of experienced heads and young talent. In a team containing Bernardo Silva, Radamel Falcao and Thomas Lemar to name just a few; Mbappé was the star of the show.

He seems to easily overcome any challenge in his way. The young French striker scored against Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus in the knockout stages as Monaco made it to the semi-finals before losing to the Italian giants. His league campaign was even more impressive as he helped the principality side to a league title with 15 goals and eight assists in 1501 minutes.

He has started the current season with two goals and an assist in three games across all competitions. His performances for the national team have also been impressive; he scored his first goal in a 4-0 thrashing of Netherlands. The match should serve as a warning to other nations over the talent that Didier Deschamps has at his disposal.

Plenty of young strikers have shown potential through good showings in their initial few seasons. Having a talented creator in the team can mask a striker’s flaws. However, this isn’t the case for Mbappé because his off the ball movement belies his age. This combined with his flawless technique and clinical nature makes him deadly. He’s also had to adapt to three separate systems in a short amount of time due to moving to PSG as well as being called up to the national team.

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