Blair Spittal believes Motherwell team-mate Kevin van Veen is a genuine contender for Scotland’s player-of-the-year awards.

The Dutch striker has scored 24 goals in 37 domestic appearances this season and hit the 20-mark in the league on Saturday when he scored an impressive equaliser in Motherwell’s draw at Celtic Park.

Van Veen is only three goals behind Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi in the cinch Premiership top scorer charts and, with nine goals in his last six matches, has a chance of emulating the likes of former Well strikers Michael Higdon, Tommy Coyne and Willie Pettigrew and finishing top of the pile.

Spittal, who voted for Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate for the PFA Scotland player award, said: “For a team that, we would probably say, have not hit the heights we wanted to this season, for a player to score the amount of goals that he has, he has been brilliant.

“He has been brilliant to play with this season, I have really enjoyed it.

“Obviously we couldn’t vote for him but I think he will certainly be right up there.”