Celtic and Rangers duo on shortlist for SFWA Young Player of Year award

Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson and Celtic midfielder David Turnbull have both been nominated for the DoubleTree by Hilton Young Player of the Year award by the Scottish Football Writers’ Association.

Hibernian left-back Josh Doig and Rangers right-back Nathan Patterson tussle during a match at Ibrox in April. Both have been shortlisted for the SFWA Young Player of the Year award. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson, who won the award last season, and Hibs left-back Josh Doig complete the four-man shortlist for the prestigious honour. The winner will be announced before the end of the season.

Patterson has emerged as a contender on the back of his impact for Rangers when standing in for James Tavernier during the club captain’s recent injury absence.

The 19-year-old excelled for Steven Gerrard’s Premiership title winners and is now being tipped for a place in the Scotland squad for this summer’s Euro 2020 finals.

Aberdeen's Lewis Ferguson and Celtic's David Turnbull are both on the short list for the SFWA Young Player of the Year award. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Turnbull, who won the Young Player of the Year award two years ago when he was with Motherwell, has been a ray of light in a gloomy season for deposed champions Celtic. The 21-year-old has scored eight goals in 32 appearances and is another who is pushing for a call-up to Scotland manager Steve Clarke’s squad.

Ferguson has again been one of Aberdeen’s most consistent performers in a transitional campaign for the Pittodrie club now under the new management of Stephen Glass. The 21-year-old is his team’s top scorer so far this season with nine goals in 33 appearances. He is bidding to become the first player to win the Young Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons since former Celtic star Kieran Tierney who claimed it three years in a row from 2016 to 2018.

At 18, Doig is the youngest player on the shortlist. He has enjoyed an outstanding breakthrough season with Hibs, effectively establishing himself as first choice left-back ahead of club stalwart Lewis Stevenson.

His form saw him rewarded in February with a new contract which runs until 2025 amid growing interest in his progress from other clubs. Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is understood to be among his admirers.

Doig would be the fourth Hibs player to win the Young Player of the Year award after Derek Riordan (2005), Scott Brown (2007) and Steven Fletcher (2008 and 2009).

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.