Celtic trio in Player of the Year nomination, Motherwell ace earns spot but no Rangers, Aberdeen, Hearts stars

Celtic dominate the PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year nominations with three out of four coming from the Scottish champions.

Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Callum McGregor are the three from Ange Postecoglou’s side while Motherwell’s talisman Kevin van Veen makes up the shortlist meaning there is no representation from Rangers, Aberdeen or Hearts who sit second, third and fourth in the table. All four nominees are included in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, which has seven Celtic stars in total as well as Ibrox duo James Tavernier and Malik Tillman as well as Dons forward Duk.

Voted for by the players, the presence of the Celtic trio is of no surprise. Hatate is viewed as the best player in the country and countryman Furuhashi is the Premiership’s top scorer with 24, averaging a goal every 90 minutes. He has scored in 19 of his 32 appearances in the league. McGregor, captain for the club, has been a steady, inspirational and formidable presence at the heart of the side. He won the award last season for the first time in his career.

Van Veen has perhaps been the most important player for a team in the Premiership. His 21 goals have ensured Motherwell have not been dragged into a relegation battle towards the end of the season. The latest was a special effort in the win over Kilmarnock at the weekend. He is on 25 in all competitions for the season and is targeting the 30 mark.