Iheanacho losses Golden Boy award to Martial

Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has won the 2015 Golden Boy award for Europe’s best young player.

Martial beat Nigeria and Manchester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho, among numerous other talented youngsters, to the award.

Established by Italian publication Tuttosport in 2003, the accolade is reserved for players under the age of 21 and is voted for by journalists from 30 major newspapers across the continent, including L’Équipe (France), Marca (Spain) and The Times (England).

France international Martial, 20, scooped the prize ahead of Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman and Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin. His United team-mates Luke Shaw and Adnan Januzaj were also on the 40-strong shortlist.

Martial’s exciting rise in the calendar year of 2015 included a successful end to the season with Monaco (who finished third in Ligue 1), a first senior cap for France in September and a highly promising start to his United career, with six goals in his first 19 appearances.

The quicksilver forward is the third United player to receive the award, after Wayne Rooney (2004) and Anderson (2008) – no other club has had more than one winner.

Martial succeeds Raheem Sterling, while other previous recipients include Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero and Paul Pogba.

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