Mo Salah, Sadio Mane Face 9,000-Mile Round Trip the Day Before Merseyside Derby

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will face a 9,000-mile round trip to Accra, Ghana, the day before Liverpool take on Everton in the third round of the FA Cup on January 5 if they attend CAF's awards ceremony.

According to the Mirror's Fionn Shiner, Hany Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian FA, is quoted by reports in the country as saying: "Mohamed Salah in a leading position until now regarding the voting for CAF player of the year, and he will attend the CAF awards Gala in Ghana [on] January 4."

Salah won the BBC's African Player of the Year award earlier in December, and next month he'll go head-to-head with team-mate Mane and Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the gong given out by the Confederation of African Football:

Mane arguably outshone star player Philippe Coutinho at Liverpool last season, as he bagged 13 goals and eight assists in all competitions. While only five of those goals and one assist came in 2017, he has produced another seven and five this season, respectively.

Meanwhile, Salah enjoyed a strong end to his excellent campaign with Roma, scoring 10 goals and adding nine assists before joining Liverpool in the summer.

It's fair to say he's made quite the impression at Anfield, scoring 20 goals and creating another six in 26 appearances in a phenomenal run of form.

He has quickly become a vital player and a fan favourite on Merseyside:

He became the first player since Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the 2013-14 season to reach 20 goals for the Reds. After that achievement, the Guardian's Sachin Nakrani and football writer Raphael Honigstein hailed the Egyptian:

It's hard to disagree with either assessment or look past Salah to win the award given the tremendous year he's had.

The Reds would no doubt prefer he and Mane do not attend the awards in person, though.

The Everton clash does not kick off until 7:55 p.m. GMT on Friday, January 5, and the pair would reportedly be using a private jet to get back to Liverpool following the ceremony, but it's hardly ideal preparation for the match.

If the star attackers go to the event, Liverpool may have to rely on their other stars to ensure progression to the next round of the cup.