Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Islam Slimani nominated for African Player of the Year

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 22 November 2016

PL trio up for African Player of the Year

Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are named on the five-man shortlist for the 2016 African Player of the Year award, while Yaya Toure misses out.

Three Premier League players have been included on the five-man shortlist for the 2016 African Player of the Year award.

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, who has scored six goals in 11 Premier League outings since his summer move from Southampton, is nominated alongside Leicester City pair Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani.

Mahrez won the PFA Player of the Year award on his way to helping Leicester to the Premier League title last season, while Slimani hit 31 goals across all competitions for Porto last season before his switch to the King Power Stadium.

Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won the award last year, is also included once again having enjoyed a productive start to the season in Germany, while Roma's Mohamed Salah completes the five-man list.

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure, who claimed that the decision to give Aubameyang the award ahead of him last year brought "shame on Africa", is a notable exclusion from the list having only recently returned to the first team under Pep Guardiola.

Toure had won the award for four consecutive years before Aubameyang's triumph in 2015.

The winner will be announced on January 5 and will be determined by votes from head coaches and technical directors from CAF's 54 affiliated national associations and associate members, plus the other 10 members of its expert panel.

African Player of the Year award shortlist: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Borussia Dortmund), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Leicester), Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Roma), Islam Slimani (Algeria/Leicester).