David Watson became the first Kilmarnock player in almost two decades to win the coveted PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year at last weekend’s prestigious awards ceremony.
Beating off competition from Rangers’ Ross McCausland, Motherwell’s Lennon Miller and Dundee’s Lyall Cameron, the 19-year-old was given the award after a series of magnificent performances at Rugby Park which have helped him team finish comfortably in the Scottish Premiership top six.
With Killie boss Derek McInnes already admitting that he is expecting bids for the teenager this summer, interest in Watson’s services are sure to be high as he attempts to develop into Scotland’s next big star like many of his predecessors.
But how far can Watson go? Is winning the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Season a guaranteed route to success? We look at the last 15 winners of the award to see what became of their careers.
13. 2008: Aiden McGeady - Celtic
The mercurial winger burst onto the scene at Celtic Park in the early 2000s and was vital in the Hoops 2007/2008 league and cup double. McGeady took a clean sweep at the PFA Scotland awards and also won Players' Player of the Year. Latterly made a big-money move to Russia with Spartak Moscow. His £9.5million made him the most expensive player from Scottish football at the time. He moved back to the UK to sign for Everton in 2012 but after struggling for game-time, he took in loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End before signing on a permanent deal for Sunderland. The Black Cats were relegated into the third tier of English football in his first season but McGeady stayed for four further years as the club battled for promotion, eventually succeeding with a 2-0 play off final win over Wycombe in 2022. Moved to Hibs, where injury curtailed his game time before landing a role with Ayr United, where he has the role of player/technical manager with the club. | SNS Group Roddy Scott Photo: SNS Group Roddy Scott