Egyptian football stars Mohamed Salah and Walid Soliman have been shortlisted for the CAF Player of the Year award, according to the nominations released by the Confederation of African Football on Friday.

Liverpool's winger Salah, who claimed the title of the best African player last season, led Liverpool to the 2018 Champions League final, where they lost to Real Madrid. He has also given a superb performance so far this season, and Liverpool are in the driving seat of the English Premier League as well as having booked a place in the UEFA Champions League last 16.

Ahly's winger Walid Soliman is the Red Devils' talisman in the African Champions League, although his club lost the final to Tunisian side Esperance.

"The shortlisted nominees were decided by votes from the members of the CAF Technical & Development Committee," read a statement on the CAF official website.

"The final phase will involve votes from CAF media experts, legends, coaches of the quarter-finalists of the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, and coaches & captains of the 54 member associations."

"The Awards Gala, to honour footballers and officials who distinguished themselves during the year under review, will be held on Tuesday, 8 January 2019 in Dakar, Senegal," the statement added.

The list also includes CAF Champions League champion Esperance's Anice Badri, Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez, and Liverpool’s Sadio Mane.

Check out the list of nominees for the various categories of the 2018CAF Awards here.

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