Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp names two African stars for PFA Player of the Year award

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has named Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah as contenders for the 2018-19 PFA Player of the Year award.

Klopp has been impressed by the contributions of the African duo in his team as they chase their first Premier League title.

Mane has been in imperious form since the start of the new year and has scored 11 goals in his last 11 matches for the Reds who are a point behind leaders Manchester City ahead of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Last season's winner Mohamed Salah has also been tipped to battle for the prize even though he is yet to find the back of the net in his last seven games for the Anfield outfit.

The Senegal and Egypt internationals are tied on 17 league goals this season and are two goals adrift of City’s Sergio Aguero who leads the scoring chart with 19 goals.

Alongside the two Africans, the German tactician also picked centre-back Virgil van Dijk who has played in every of the Reds’ games this term as a potential candidate for the accolade.

“Virgil is a fantastic player but we cannot have the points we have without having a lot of really good players,” Klopp told club website.

“If you take the last 10 weeks, and not only that, I would say Sadio Mane is probably in the race as well. If you take the 10 weeks before that then Mo Salah is in the race again.

“At the end there will be a very, very good player winning that competition.

“If it was a Liverpool player for the second time in a row that would be really big as well because it is another sign that things are going in the right direction.”