McInnes braced for bids for Watson after major award
Buzz around Kilmarnock academy graduate not lost on his manager
KILMARNOCK manager Derek McInnes expects offers for PFA Scotland young player of the year David Watson. The 19-year-old midfielder came through the Killie academy, helping the club to fourth place in the cinch Premiership and European football next season.
Watson came out on top of a shortlist which included Motherwell’s Lennon Miller, Dundee midfielder Lyall Cameron and Rangers winger Ross McCausland to become the first non-Old Firm player to win the award voted by his peers since Scotland captain Andy Robertson was chosen when at Dundee United in 2014.
McInnes said: “Is it not just brilliant? What a story it is.
“A lot of managers speak to me about him, people on the street, supporters from other clubs, they always make reference to David Watson.
“He is a credit to his family, he is their boy, but we feel that he is ours at the club, he has been around the club for so long.
“We were so proud when he picked up his award. We were hopeful but you are never totally confident.
“The fact that he has been nominated by the Scottish Football Writers as well, is fantastic.
“I think we should expect speculation about Davie, we should expect clubs to be more than aware of him, bigger clubs than us. That’s the way it goes. We would be surprised if there wasn’t.
“He has been a fantastic story for us, he is from the academy, a real flagship player for that.
“We have signed a few more players since David has established himself in the team.
“He is a great way for us to try to get boys to sign. We are confident we can keep more younger players at Killie. There’s a couple in who we have high hopes but we would like David to hang about a bit longer.
“As a manager you want to hold on to your best players as long as we can but we understand the market and if there are offers that come in for him, as I would expect, it is something that we would have to look at but we don’t want to lose him. He is a credit to himself.
“He is only going to get better. He was in good company with the nominees and to come out on top is fantastic for him.
“There have been a lot of top players who have won that award
and went on to have brilliant careers and he is another one.”
Ahead of the trip to fifth-place St Mirren on Saturday, McInnes revealed that midfielder Brad Lyons is out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury picked up at Ibrox last weekend.
Attacker Greg Stewart has returned to training this week after his hernia operation and is in contention while James Balagizi could return from a knee issue.
Midfielder Kyle Magennis remains out long term while defender Joe Wright is suspended.
Watson, meanwhile, could be set for an awards double.
The 19-year-old has been named on the shortlist for the DoubleTree by Hilton Scottish Football Writers’ Association SPFL Young Player of the Year.
Watson won the PFA Scotland
SPFL Young Player award on Sunday night after netting five goals in 42 appearances so far this season to help his club qualify for European football.
He is joined by Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron, Motherwell’s Lennon Miller and Lyall Cameron of Dundee on the shortlist.
Barron, 21, has made 39 appearances at the base of Aberdeen’s midfield and scored a spectacular goal at St Mirren.
Dundee midfielder Cameron has scored five goals in 33 appearances to help Tony Docherty’s side to a top-six finish in the cinch Premiership.
Miller has been an influential member of the Motherwell first team and the 17-year-old has made 29 appearances despite missing several months of the campaign with a fractured patella.
He is a great way for us to try to get boys to sign. We are confident we can keep more younger players at Killie. There’s a couple in who we have high hopes but we would like David to hang about a bit longer