Ajax's Matthijs de Ligt claims 2018 Golden Boy award

Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt has been named as the winner of the 2018 Golden Boy award.

The accolade is given to the top Under-21 player in Europe, and Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold had been in contention having played a key role in the club's run to the Champions League final.

The 20-year-old played six times during the knockout stages of the competition, but the award has been given to the highly-regarded De Ligt.

The youngster is already a regular on the international scene with the Netherlands, while the 19-year-old is expected to make the switch to one of European football's top club during the summer.

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, Roma's Justin Kluivert and AC Milan's Patrick Cutrone had also been in the running for the award.