Premier League 2016-17 awards: 5 best attacking midfielders

By Ty Finch | May 3, 2017

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides first goal with Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspur and Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Watford at White Hart Lane on April 8, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 01: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Sadio Mane of Liverpool celebrates after scoring during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield on April 1, 2017 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) /

3. Sadio Mane, Liverpool

Liverpool currently have the most goals of any club in the Premier League, so it’s only right to have two of their attackers on this list. Mane came from Promising Young Players FC (Southampton) to Liverpool this past summer for a fee of £34 million, making him the most expensive African-born player in history. He’s more than lived up to his gaudy price tag.

Mane plays almost exclusively on the right side of an attacking three in Jurgen Klopp’s system, and has fit in even better than when Danny DeVito joined the cast of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” in the show’s second season. Scoring 13 goals and assisting on five more, Mane has been a revelation in his first season with the club.

What makes Mane’s contributions this season even more special is the fact that he was away from Liverpool for almost a month while he was competing in the African Cup of Nations. While he was out, Liverpool struggled mightily in the league and in cup competitions. From Jan. 15 to Feb. 4, Liverpool lost minnows such as Hull and Swansea in the league, and Plymouth and Wolves in cup competitions. The next match Mane played, he scored two goals against Tottenham — the stingiest defense in the league — in three minutes to help Liverpool get the win.

Unfortunately for Liverpool and fans of the beautiful game, Mane suffered an injury against Everton on April 1 that will sideline him for the rest of the season. Hopefully he can recover from the injury and be back better than ever for next year.

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