Sterling, Lazar and Origi to vie for prize
Raheem Sterling, Lazar Markovic and Divock Origi are amongst the nominees for this year's European Golden Boy award, where they will go up against the best burgeoning talent from across the continent.
The Golden Boy prize is voted for by some of Europe's leading newspapers, with the simple aim of establishing which young footballer has shone the brightest for club and country during each calendar year.
Publications such as Bild, l'Equipe, Marca, Mundo Deportivo, Sport Express, De Telegraaf and The Times will choose an eventual winner from an impressive shortlist of nominees, with all players under the age of 21.
Sterling's performances throughout 2014 propelled the 19-year-old to prominence as he played a key role in helping Brendan Rodgers' side achieve 11 consecutive victories en route to securing a return to Champions League football.
Markovic has been earmarked for his exploits at Benfica, the reigning Portuguese champions, from whom the Serbian international joined the Reds in the summer. The winger shined as he helped himself to five goals in 26 appearances.
Origi meanwhile, who arrived at Melwood in the summer before re-joining French outfit Lille on a season-long loan, is also in the running for the prize having thrived at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil for Belgium.
Mario Balotelli, who netted his second Liverpool goal against Swansea City in last night's Capital One Cup thriller at Anfield, won the award when at Manchester City in 2010. Other previous recipients of the accolade include Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero.
Sterling and co will have to wait until December to find out if they have scooped this year's Golden Boy honour ahead of the likes of Manchester United's Luke Shaw, Everton's John Stones and a host of talent from leagues around Europe.
Nominees for the Golden Boy award: Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Kurt Zouma (Chelsea), John Stones (Everton), Raheem Sterling, Lazar Markovic. (Liverpool), Adnan Januzaj, Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Nabil Bentaleb and Eric Dier (Tottenham), Gerard Deulofeu (Sevilla), Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao), Munir El Haddai (Barcelona), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid), Sandro Ramirez (Barcelona) Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Bernardeschi Franco (Fiorentina), Kingsley Coman (Juventus), Keita Balde Diao (Lazio), Mateo Kovacic (Inter), Hakan Calhanoglu (Bayer Leverkusen), Gianluca Gaudino (Bayern Munich), Mathias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund), Julian Green (Hamburg), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Bayern Munich), Maximilian Meyer (Schalke), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Benjamin Mendy (Marseille), Lucas Ocampos (Monaco), Divock Origi (Lille), Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain), Bruma (Galatasaray), Gonzalez (Basel), Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax), Alexander Mitrovic (Anderlecht), Nikola Ninkovic (Partizan Belgrade), Dennis Praet (Anderlecht), Oliver Torres (Porto), Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord), Jetro Willems (PSV), Luka Zahovic (Maribor).