While they may be making light work of wrapping up another Premiership title, there is nothing straightforward about settling on a pick of the bunch from Celtic’s champions-elect.
Ange Posteoglou’s side are cruising towards being crowned the top team in the country for the second campaign in a row having built a commanding 12-point lead over Rangers at the top. They have done so by winning a startling 30 of their 32 league matches, losing only once.
They could yet finish the season on a record 107 points, outdoing even the Brendan Rodgers team which went through an entire campaign unbeaten. With six league games left, they are 15 goals short of the club’s all-time record goals haul for a single campaign.
102 scored thus far, and only 24 conceded in the league, there is little doubt Celtic have made themselves worthy champions. But it also makes it fiendishly difficult to select just one Player of the Year.
The favourite, though, is likely to be Kyogo Furuhashi. The Japanese forward has 28 goals across 41 appearances in all competitions, and it would be a major surprise if he did not push well beyond the 30 mark between now and season’s end.
It’s not just volume – the importance of the 28-year-old’s contributions have been immense. It was his double against Rangers which effectively put the ribbons on the league trophy earlier this month.
A late equaliser at Ibrox in early January denied Michael Beale an early momentum swing in his team’s ultimately fruitless bid to rein in their rivals. Celtic have not ceded any ground whatsoever since.
Kyogo may be the frontrunner, but it nonetheless remains a crowded field.
Representing the defender’s union, Jackie McNamara makes a strong case for Cameron Carter-Vickers. It may be a tall order for a centre-back to take the top individual prize in a side which could break goalscoring records, but that’s how good the former Celtic captain believes Carter-Vickers.
“I think there’s been a number of players in top form, including Kyogo with his goals,” he said. “But Cameron Carter-Vickers, for me, has been immense.
“A lot of what he does maybe goes unnoticed because Celtic are always on the attack, but when the full-backs are forward, there’s more onus on the centre-backs to defend properly.
“Reo Hatate has also been immense, you see him getting better every week, as well. Aaron Mooy has also been really good in midfield.”
There likely would not be much in the way of serious grumbling if it were to be Carter-Vickers, such has been his consistency and popularity. The USA international has been the foundation for Postecoglou, an ever-reliable rock who often makes defending against Premiership forwards look a bit too easy.
There tends to be a hint of recency bias in such comparisons, but some Celtic fans have even insisted he has been better for the club than Virgil van Dijk was. Up for debate, perhaps, but it displays the strength of feeling for a player who was recruited in the very last hours of Postecoglou’s first transfer window.
McNamara, of course, knows a thing or two about playing in Celtic’s backline. With 358 appearances to his name, the now 49-year-old lined up alongside the likes of Bobo Balde, Johan Mjallby and Marc Rieper during his 10 years at Parkhead.
McNamara believes Carter-Vickers is up there with the best of them; a modern defender who can do a bit of everything.
“He’s strong and has a lot of attributes,” McNamara said. “He’s been a terrific signing.
“Yeah (he’s up there with some of the best) – although he’s not quite the same kind of player as Bobo! I played with some cracking centre-backs over the years - Johan Mjallby, Mark Rieper.
“Carter-Vickers has definitely been one who has been an excellent signing. He’s very steady and consistent.
“He can definitely play, as well. And with the way Ange sets his team up, he wants everybody to be able to play, including the goalie.
“He’s been a great addition.”
As for other candidates? There remains plenty.
Hatate will certainly be in the conversation. The Japanese midfielder may just have the highest ceiling of any footballer in Scotland at this moment in time, and was arguably the Celtic player who looked most comfortable playing in the Champions League.
His influence, too, has been enormous. There was a period before sustaining a recent injury where he again appeared to be kicking on to another level.
He may not be outright favourite for POTY, but his virtuoso display in the home win over Aberdeen in February was possibly the best individual showing from any Celtic player this season.
There’s also a shout for Greg Taylor, whose transformation from occasional scapegoat into fan favourite has been one of the great success stories of the Postecoglou era. The former Kilmarnock defender has thrived in an inverted role which demands an awful lot more than your typical full-back duties.
The arrival of Alexandro Bernabei has only served to kick Taylor on further, and the summer signing from Argentina has had his opportunities limited as a result. Taylor probably won’t be the player who walks away with the trophy on awards night, but that he has even found himself in the conversation is testament to a significant rise to prominence.
Callum McGregor, as is the norm, will pick up at least a few votes. The captain, however, may find himself a victim of his own staggering consistency in that everyone has got a bit too used to him being excellent. And that’s not a bad place to find yourself at all.
