St Johnstone fans have taken to social media to question why Ali McCann missed out on a nomination for the Scottish Football Writers’ Young Player of the Year award.
The shortlist for the annual honour, voted for by members of the Scottish Football Writers’ Association, was announced on Tuesday morning.
Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson, Hibs’ Josh Doig, Celtic’s David Turnbull and Nathan Patterson of Rangers are all in the running for this year’s trophy.
🟢 Josh Doig
🔴 Lewis Ferguson
🔵 Nathan Patterson
🟩 David TurnbullWho should be crowned Scottish Football Writers Double Tree by Hilton Young Player of the Year award? 👑
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) May 4, 2021
But there was no place for Saints star McCann, who missed out to Ferguson after being nominated last year.
McCann’s omission this time around has sparked online confusion, with a number of fans questioning why he was left out of the running.
Ali McCann is 21, won a Cup, made multiple International appearances, tops many CM metrics in the league, and is a regular for a team in 5th chasing a double.
Patterson is 19 and has played 356 minutes (~4 games) in the league this season.
Scottish football in a nutshell… https://t.co/M3ZO9G6RDl
— St Johnstone fan analysis (@StAnalysis) May 4, 2021
However, the Perth star is no longer eligible for the award, which is only open to players who can represent Scotland at international level.
McCann won his first full cap for Northern Ireland in November 2020 against Austria and has since collected another three.
Some buzz @NorthernIreland 💚 pic.twitter.com/jJeJIFUROW
— Ali McCann (@alimccann01) November 19, 2020
As a result, the 21-year-old did not meet the criteria for nomination this season.
McCann has enjoyed yet another stellar campaign as St Johnstone lifted the Betfred Cup, landed a last-gasp top six finish and won through to the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
They face St Mirren on Sunday for a place in the final – and a shot at what would be a momentous cup double.
