SAINTS stars Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama are among the nominees for the 2015 African Player of the Year award.

The pair are on an initial 37-man shortlist for the prize, which is dished out by the Confederation of African Football.

Senegal forward Mane has enjoyed a brilliant year for his club, scoring 12 times during the calendar year, including the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, when he netted three in 176 seconds in the 6-1 home win against Aston Villa last April.

Kenya skipper Wanyama has also been an immense presence in midfield for his club, and played a major role as Saints qualified for Europe last season, while his qualities were on full display in the 3-1 win at Chelsea in the team's last outing.

The contenders will be whittled down to ten by next month, before being further reduced to then five and eventually three ahead of the award ceremony, which is set to be held around the turn of the year.

In total, there are 11 English-based players who feature on the current shortlist.