Leny Yoro and two other Man Utd players are in the running for prestigious award that Cristiano Ronaldo never won

Leny Yoro and two other Manchester United youngsters are in contention to win a prestigious award that Cristiano Ronaldo never got his hands on.

On Thursday Manchester United confirmed the signing of 18-year-old centre-back Leny Yoro, after agreeing a initial £52 million fee with French club Lille.

The France Under-21 international looked likely to join Real Madrid, but he underwent a medical in Manchester on Thursday before signing a five-year contract.

Erik ten Hag is building a squad of impressive young talents, as he looks to improve on his side's eighth place finish in the Premier League last season.

Teenage midfielder Kobbie Mainoo was the break-through star at Old Trafford last season, while Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho also impressed.

All three are in contention to win the most prestigious individual prize for young male players in world football: The Golden Boy award.

Perhaps surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo never won the award when he was eligible, losing out to Rafael van der Vaart, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively.

The Golden Boy Football Benchmark Index is used to rank the contenders, taking into account players' performances between 3rd October 2023 and 26th July 2024.

Only players born in 2004 or after are eligible and they must be part of a squad of a club playing in one of Europe's top 25 leagues.

According to the rankings, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is in pole position to win the prize following his superb performances at Euro 2024.

The 17-year-old has an index value of 94.2, but is closely followed by Benfica midfielder Joao Neves with 93.4.

United star Garnacho is third with 90.8, followed by Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery with 89.6 and then Yoro with 86.7.

Incoming Manchester City winger Savio, who tore up La Liga with Girona last season, is sixth with 85, while United and England gem Mainoo is seventh on 84.4.

Journalist and Golden Boy jury member Joaquin Maroto told Sport3 that Yamal will win the award.