KRC Gent striker Gift Orban is the only Nigerian player among the top 10 contenders for the 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Men’s Young Player of the Year award.
The CAF award is billed to be held on December 11, 2023, in Marakesh, Morocco.
Other players vying for the award alongside Orban include; Bournemouth and Burkinabè midfielder, Dango Ouattara; 17-year-old Burkinabè and New Stars FC striker, Souleymane Alio; Ghana and Olympique Lyon’s Ernest Nuamah; Morocco and Real Betis’ Abdessamad Ezzalzouli; Morocco and Genk’s Bilal El Khannous.
Others are Senegal young stars Lamine Camara (Generation Foot/Metz), Pape Amadou Diallo (Generation Foot/Metz), Amara Diouf (Generation Foot) and Pape Demba Diop (Zulte Waregem).
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Orban would be hoping to win the Young Player of the Year award and become the first Nigerian to achieve the feat since Victor Osimhen in January 2016 after their triumph at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The 21-year-old would be favourite to win the award after his impressive performance last season scoring 20 goals in 22 games across all competitions for the Belgian side.
