Ayew, Atsu, Mahrez, and Toure included in shortlist for African Player of the Year

wansea's Andre Ayew, Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, Manchester City's Yaya Toure and Southampon's Victor Wanyama are four of a number of Premier League players who have officially been named on the 37-man shortlist for the CAF African Player of the Year.

Presented by African football's governing body annually since 1992, it is an award that Ivorian powerhouse Toure has won in each of the last four years.

Ayew and Mahrez in particular have enjoyed exceptional starts to the season - Mahrez was also key as Leicester avoided what looked like inevitable Premier League relegation in the spring.

Wanyama is joined on the list by Southampton teammate Sadio Mane, who enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in English football in 2014/15 and has started 2015/16 equally well. Aston Villa's Rudy Gestede made the cut, as did Stoke's Mame Biram Diouf.

After struggling to make an impact at club level over the last 12 months, Chelsea loanee Christian Atsu is perhaps a surprising addition. Atsu's current Bournemouth teammate Max Gradel is included after his stunning performances for Saint-Etienne last season.

Yannick Bolasie was also given a place, while new Norwich loan signing Dieumerci Mbokani features, too.

The shortlist in full is as follows:

Ahmed Musa (CKSA Moscow) - Nigeria

Andre Ayew (Swansea City) - Ghana

Aymen Abdennour (Valencia) - Tunisia

Baghdad Bounedjah (Etoile du Sahel) - Algeria

Basem Morsy (Zamalek) - Egypt

Christian Atsu (Bournemouth) - Ghana

Dieumerci Mbokani (Norwich) - DR Congo

El Arbi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb) - Algeria

Faouzi Ghoulam (Napoli) - Algeria

Ferebory Dore (Angers) - Congo

Gervinho (Roma) Cote d'Ivoire

Ibrahima Traore (Borussia Monchengladbach) - Guinea

Javier Balboa (Al-Faisaly) - Equatorial Guinea

Heldon Ramos (Rio Ave) - Cape Verde

Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City) - Senegal

Max Gradel (Bournemouth) - Cote d'Ivoire

Mehdi Benatia (Bayern Munich) - Morocco

Mudather Careca (Al Hilal Omdurman) - Sudan

Mohamed Salah (Roma) - Egypt

Nicolas NKoulou (Marseille) - Cameroon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund) - Gabon

Robert Kidiaba (TP Mazembe) - DR Congo

Rudy Gestede (Aston Villa) - Benin

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City) - Algeria

Sadio Mane (Southampton) - Senegal

Serge Aurier (Paris Saint-Germain) - Cote d'Ivoire

Seydou Keita (Roma) - Mali

Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia) - Algeria

Stephane Mbia (Trabzonspor) - Cameroon

Thievy Bifouma (Granada) - Congo

Victor Wanyama (Southampton) - Kenya

Vincent Aboubakar (Porto) - Cameroon

Vincent Enyeama (Lille) - Nigeria

Yacine Brahimi (Porto) - Algeria

Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) - DR Congo

Yasine Chikhaoui (Al-Gharafa) - Tunisia

Yaya Toure (Manchester City) - Cote d'Ivoire