SEVERAL of the leading candidates for this season’s Player of the Year award will line up at Celtic Park on Wednesday night as the Hoops take on Hearts in a match that could clinch the title for Gordon Strachan’s side.

And Neil Lennon’s choice will be there in the maroon of Hearts, though the Celtic captain would not reveal the identity of the player.

“It’s always a tough one because obviously, you can’t vote for your own players,” Lennon said, “I actually voted for a Hearts player, I’m not going to say who but I think that they’ve made a massive contribution this year.

“Paul Hartley again showed in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibernian at the weekend how important he is for Hearts in front of goal, while Kris Boyd for Rangers got a hat-trick too. There is a wealth of talent out there that you could vote for.”

Speaking ahead of the game against Hearts, the Celtic captain was in relaxed mood, even joking that, if he could, he’d vote for himself as Player of the Year. And he offered an assessment of his team-mates who are in the running for the award.

“From my own team-mates, possible contenders for player of the year are Shaun Maloney, Stilian Petrov and Stephen McManus, who has been a revelation,” said Lennon.

“I never thought he would’ve been as consistent as he has been this season and his goals have been a tremendous bonus to us.

“Really, you could go through the whole squad, I think Artur Boruc has made a huge difference to us this season as well, and Maciej Zurawski for the last five or six months has just been clinical in front of goal. So you could really take your pick.”

And the Irishman also admitted he is enjoying his first season as Celtic captain, having already lifted the League Cup, and now being on the verge of clinching the league title.

“I really couldn’t have asked any more for the season or from being skipper,” Lennon admitted. “I couldn’t have asked for a better bunch of lads and I’m very proud of what they’ve done so far.

“We’re not there yet but if we do win it, it will be a great achievement for me to captain the team to a championship. It just cements my feelings for the club. I’ve had a great ride up here for the past five years and who knows, it might carry on.”