Sunderland youngster one of 14 Premier League stars nominated for prestigious European Golden Boy award

The contest is run by Italian publication Tuttosport, with the winner voted for by journalists across Europe.

The award is given to the young player deemed to have made the biggest impact over the past year.

Asoro has impressed in the U23 set up with his searing pace, making his senior debut during the 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough earlier in the season. He has not been selected since but scored in the recent International Cup semi-final against Norwich, and has been a part of the Sweden U21 squad despite being just 17.

Asoro has often shared the U23 striking duties with Josh Maja, who has enjoyed an impressive campaign.

He is one of 98 players on the shortlist.

Other Premier League nominees include Manchester United's Marcus Rashford, Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus and Everton's Tom Davies.

Hopes remain high that Asoro has a bright future on Wearside, with U23's boss Elliott Dickman telling the Echo earlier in the season: "Someone like Joel, who came into the club quite late, so you do miss out on certain fundamentals.

"What Joel has is natural pace, he’s good at controlling the ball, the fact that he’s 17 and he’s in the U23’s squad says that the Swedish coach thinks very highly of him, so that’s a great achievement for him. But Joel still has a lot to develop, finishing would be one of those areas, he knows that and is working on it."

Previous winners of the award include Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi.