Max Aarons’ breakthrough at Norwich City has earned him a nomination for the prestigious Golden Boy award to find the best young player across Europe, which boasts the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe as former winners.

Aarons is part of a 16-strong Premier League contingent in the initial long list of players revealed by Italian sports newspaper Tuttosport.

The impressive right-back’s England Under-21 team mates Phil Foden of Manchester City, Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood all make the first cut in a strong line up that also has Borussia Dortmund’s highly-rated wide player Jadon Sancho and striker Erling Haaland.

Portuguese ace Joao Felix is the current holder of the award, presented to the best player in Europe aged 21, over the past 12 months and who is currently operating in a top league across the continent.

Tuttosport launched the award in 2003 which is now voted for by some of the most well-known football publishers in Europe, such as Marca and L’Equipe.

Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling are former English winners of the award.

Aarons earned a Championship title winners’ medal in his first full season and was crowned the best young player in the Football League.

The 20-year-old has since made 27 Premier League appearances in a disrupted campaign due to the global pandemic to emerge as one of the most coveted young players in the country.

The Norwich full back has been routinely touted with the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal in the most recent transfer windows but is under contract at Carrow Road until 2024 after signing a new five-year deal in July 2019.