Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato nominated for Golden Boy award
The 20-year-old Dutch international is in contention for the under-21 prize, although several established young stars may rank among the leading candidates.
Jorrel Hato has been named among the candidates for the Golden Boy award, giving the Chelsea defender an opportunity to follow former Dutch winners Rafael van der Vaart and Matthijs de Ligt. The prize recognises the best player under the age of 21.
The 20-year-old has generally been able to count on a starting place for Chelsea this season, but his role with the Netherlands has been more limited. Hato made one substitute appearance at the World Cup and also featured only from the bench during the current international period, playing the final half-hour of the second meeting with Serbia.
Voetbal International therefore suggests Hato is unlikely to be among the principal favourites. Other nominees include Lennart Karl, Pau Cubarsí and Warren Zaïre-Emery, each of whom has already established an important role at a leading European club.
Previous winners cannot be considered again, which rules out 19-year-old Lamine Yamal despite his age. Last year’s winner, Desiré Doué, would also have been ineligible after turning 21 in June. Tuttosport has invited representatives from 11 other media organisations to help select the winner, with De Telegraaf holding the Dutch vote. No announcement date has yet been confirmed, although the award has generally been decided in late November or early December in recent years.
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- Genomineerde Hato kan Van der Vaart en De Ligt opvolgen als Golden Boy— Voetbal International
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