Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic has been named on the 40-man shortlist for the 2016 Golden Boy award.

The Golden Boy awards recognise the best U21 player in European football over the course of each year.

The 20-year-old’s impressive performances for Red Star Belgrade earned him a move to the Reds in January, but he remained at the club on loan until the end of the 2015-16 season.

The Siberian international got his Liverpool career off on a positive note, scoring three goals during pre-season and producing an impressive performance on his full debut against Derby County in the EFL Cup.

Grujic’s efforts have now been recognised by a panel of journalists comprising representatives from The Times, A Bola, L’Equipe, Bild, Marca, Corriere dello Sport-Stadio, La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport,’ reports the Liverpool website.

The former Reds Star youth product joins Premier League players including the likes of Alex Iwobi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Demarai Gray, Kelechi Iheanacho, Marcus Rashford, and Leroy Sane on the list of the best young players.

Image: Liverpool website