Kevin van Veen hoping to spoil Celtic's Scotland Premiership Player of the Year party
- Planet Sport writer
- 10 May 2023
Motherwell's Kevin van Veen is the only player not to play for Celtic that has been nominated for the Scotland Premiership Player of the Year.
Motherwell striker Kevin van Veen will go up against four Celtic players for the PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year award.
The 31-year-old Dutchman is on the shortlist alongside the title-winning Hoops trio of Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and last season's winner Callum McGregor.
Van Veen has scored 25 goals this term, including 13 in his last 12 games. He is currently the joint second-highest scorer in the top flight, alongside Hearts' Lawrence Shankland, with 21 league goals to his name.
Kyogo has notched 30 goals in all competitions and sits top of the cinch Premiership scoring charts with 24, while his fellow Japanese Hatate and captain McGregor have been key players in the Celtic midfield as they have surged to a second successive title under Ange Postecoglou.
Rangers, who will finish second in the league, have no representation on the Premiership shortlist, while Aberdeen attacker Luis 'Duk' Lopes and Hearts captain Shankland, who were considered to be possible candidates, have not been nominated.
Two more Celtic players have been nominated for the Young Player of the Year award, with last year's winner Liel Abada and Matt O'Riley joined by Rangers midfielder Malik Tillman and Charlie Reilly, who scored 24 goals for Albion Rovers despite the Cliftonhill side finishing bottom of League Two.
The winners will be announced on Sunday.
