Liverpool duo go up against Chelsea ace in battle to land BBC award

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The BBC have revealed the nominees for their African Player of the Year award, and it will pit a Liverpool duo against a future teammate and a Chelsea ace.

Having announced the chosen five on Saturday, voting is now open to crown the 2017 winner, and all five individuals have had memorable years to fully deserve the recognition.

Sadio Mane has performed brilliantly for club and country to get the nod, as aside from scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists in 29 appearances for Liverpool last season, he helped book Senegal’s place at the World Cup in Russia next summer.

It’s a similar story for Reds teammate Mohamed Salah, with the Egyptian international ensuring that his country will be in Russia next year while recording some impressive numbers at club level with his blistering form for Roma and Liverpool.

The 25-year-old scored 19 and assisted 15 in 41 outings for the Serie A giants last year, while he’s wasted no time in making an impression on Merseyside with 12 goals and four assists in 17 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

In turn, there is no argument over either his or Mane’s inclusion while they’ll go up against Chelsea’s Victor Moses after he established himself as an almost ever-present in Antonio Conte’s team last season to win the Premier League title.

It wasn’t easy for Moses as he had to show his versatility and adapt to a new role as a right wing-back, but he did so brilliantly while you’ll also get to see him at the World Cup next summer with Nigeria qualifying.

The final two slots are filled by players outside of the Premier League, with incoming Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita getting the nod for his form for RB Leipzig.

As reported by The Telegraph, he’ll seal a £48m move to Anfield next summer, and it comes off the back of the 22-year-old scoring eight goals and providing eight assists last season to lead Leipzig into the Champions League qualifiers.

Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completes the line-up as he enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 35 goals for the Bundesliga outfit as he lifted the German Cup.

It’s a brilliant selection of players up for the award, but it remains to be seen who will top the voting. Who gets your vote?

More Stories Mohamed Salah Naby Keita Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Sadio Mane victor moses