Seven players including Rangers duo and Hibs talisman who have no chance of stopping Celtic's Daizen Maeda

Some says it's already a done deal, and you can understand why. It would take a serious drop off in form from Celtic forward Daizen Maeda to deny him the 2024/25 player of the year award when the gongs are handed out at the end of the season.

The 27-year-old has put in quite a remarkable season. Maeda's two goals at the weekend in Celtic's 3-0 win over Hearts took his tally across all competitions to 30 strikes for the season in green and white across 43 matches. Add in the nine assists he has chipped in and he has by far and away the best stats of any forward player in Scottish football.

Maeda has been a relentless attacker for Celtic, the sort of man defenders must hate playing against. He is rapid, aggressive and has improved his composure in front of goal. Despite being well under 6ft tall, he is strong in the air, and has a versatile nature to his game that has given the current league leaders a new lease of life since the turn of the year.

Celtic's Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring the opener in the 3-0 win over Hearts. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group

When his compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi left for Rennes in January, there was a panic as to who may replicate his goals. Switched from a winger to a centre forward, Maeda has made sure Furuhashi's absence has been swiftly forgotten about.

Furuhashi's greatest goal tally in a season for Celtic was 34; Maeda seems set to eclipse that given he is just four off that mark. He is firing Celtic towards another domestic treble.

With all of the above taken into consideration, it may seem fanciful even to suggest players who could compete against Maeda for player of the year. He is the runaway horse that doesn't look like falling or being reeled in. But in terms of the chasing pack, there are some players who at least deserve to be in the conversation.

Two team-mates warrant inclusion, especially given their impact at Celtic in the first half of the season. Maeda's fellow forward Nicolas Kuhn may have dropped his level over the past few weeks, but it is worth remembering his scintillating start to the campaign.

Nicolas Kuhn was the standout performer in Scottish football in the first half of the season but has been overtaken by teammate Daizen Maeda. | SNS Group

The 25-year-old's numbers are impressive too, especially in terms of creativity: in 43 games, he has scored 18 goals and laid on 14 assists. Perhaps Maeda's stats take the shine off the German, but he has scored some key goals – particularly in the Champions League against RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich. His form had him linked with some clubs in England and there can be no understating his impact for Celtic this term.

The same can be said about Celtic's captain and midfield linchpin Callum McGregor, whose impact on this team can be summed up by how poorly they performed in the recent 3-2 defeat at home by Rangers, when the 31-year-old was absent due to injury. He remains the key cog in the Celtic machine, able to dictate the tempo and keep his team-mates organised.

McGregor has also added goals to his game this season, especially from outside the penalty box, netting nine times across 45 matches. He is synonymous with Celtic's success and appears revitalised by his sensible decision to call time on his international career with Scotland last summer.

Across the city, it has been a season of tumult for Rangers. Plus ça change, some may say. It is therefore a hard ask to put forward a challenger to the Celtic trio, although two players should be mentioned.

Some may laugh at the suggestion of Cyriel Dessers. The enigmatic Nigerian passed up 11 chances against Dundee last weekend, although he did net the winner. Some of his misses remain perplexing, but to net 23 goals in 46 appearances – and chip in seven assists – is good going for a player who continues to be unfairly maligned.

Rangers striker Cyriel Dessers merits a mention in Scotland’s Player of the Year conversation. | SNS Group

His fellow forward Vaclav Cerny has been Rangers' best player. A graceful winger who at times polarised Ibrox supporters in his early weeks at the club on loan from Wolfsburg, he has morphed into their most creative outlet. Seventeen goals and seven assist in 44 matches is a more than reasonable haul and there is understandably much clamour to make his move permanent.

Away from Glasgow, four others merit inclusion for the impact they have had on their respective teams' seasons.

Hibs' renaissance from November has been remarkable and they are now favourites to finish third. While the effort has been largely collective, their left wing-back Nicky Cadden – who is currently injured – has spearheaded their ascension with the sort of devilish deliveries that strikers dream about. He is the best striker of the ball in Scottish football right now and Hibs will hope he returns swifly.

It is easy to forget Aberdeen were so scintillating at the start of the season and they appear to be rediscovering their form at the right time. However, not one player has leapt out as a star man – it has truly been a collective effort and a lot of players have had peaks and troughs. Kevin Nisbet, right now, is the man of the moment.

Elsewhere, Wrexham loanee Sam Dalby is quite clearly Dundee United's main man with 13 goals in their first season back in the Premiership, while a stone's throw from Tannadice, Simon Murray has bagged 18 goals in 39 appearance for a struggling Dundee side and merits enormous respect. Hearts left-back James Penrice has been a stand-out in a team that are still working on reaching the top six, and the Jambos may be braced for bids this summer.

Do any of them topple Maeda? It is hard to argue against the talisman from Taishi.