Liam Lindsay has been nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award, highlighting his incredible turnaround at Preston North End.
The EFL announced the four nominees for the award on Thursday with Lindsay named on the list.
Rotherham United defender Richard Wood, Hull City striker Oscar Estupinan and Sunderland hitman Ross Stewart all join Lindsay in being up for the award.
If you had asked Championship fans for a Player of the Month prediction before the start of the season, few would have come up with those four names.
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In the case of Lindsay, this nomination is just the latest step on Lindsay’s road from also-ran to undroppable ace at Preston.
Lindsay first joined North End from Stoke City back in February 2021, arriving as a deadline day replacement for Ben Davies.
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Lindsay had barely kicked a ball for around a year before his move to Deepdale having been effectively frozen out under Michael O’Neill.
The Scot didn’t blow anybody away in his loan spell at North End but did enough to land a permanent move to Lancashire.
The first half of last season was tough for Lindsay. Defensive errors left saw Lindsay lose his place in the team to Patrick Bauer and fans generally felt nervy when he was in the team.
We started to see promising signs from Lindsay in November though, effectively shackling Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic – a striker many Premier League defenders are now struggling with – in a fine performance.
Ryan Lowe then came in as Frankie McAvoy’s replacement and whilst Lindsay wasn’t a first pick for him, it became clear towards the end of the season that he fancied the former Barnsley man.
We weren’t surprised at all when Lindsay was named in the starting lineup against Wigan Athletic on the opening day of the season, landing his spot ahead of Bauer.
Lindsay has been outstanding ever since, turning in some colossal performances for North End.
Lindsay has recorded 15 interceptions – only ten players in the Championship have registered more – whilst he has also notched 42 clearances, which is the fourth-highest in the league.
The Scot has also blocked a staggering 13 shots in just eight games, topping the stats table in that regard.
Lindsay has excelled in the air too, racking up 44 successful aerial duels; only Middlesbrough’s Darragh Lenihan has won more.
In terms of defensive stats, Lindsay has been simply outstanding and he has even shown an ability to pass out from the back too.
Lindsay is surely putting himself into contention for a Scotland call-up based on this form, which feels like the next step in his rise.
Few could have seen this rise from Lindsay, but long may it continue – and should he win this award, you won’t hear many complaints from Preston supporters who have been won over by Lindsay.