It’s taken over a year, but it feels like the rest of the football world has just latched on to something that Evertonians have known since the start of last season about Iliman Ndiaye.

On Wednesday, Ndiaye joined Liverpool's Mohamed Salah as one of 10 nominees to be African Player of the Year, along with Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco; Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray and Nigeria; Serhou Guirassy of Borussia Dortmund and Guinea; Pape Matar Sarr of Tottenham Hotspur and Senegal; Frank Anguissa of Napoli and Cameroon; Denis Bouanga of LAFC and Gabon; Fiston Mayele of Pyramids and DR Congo; plus Oussama Lamlioui of RS Berkane and Morocco.

After turning on the style against Manchester City, the man who has already written himself into Blues history by netting their final goal at Goodison Park and first at Hill Dickinson Stadium has finally got a wider audience sitting up and taking notice. Ndiaye was sensational in the first half at the Etihad Stadium with David Moyes correct in his assessment that for long periods he was the best player on the pitch – and that was up against a squad valued at over a billion...