Stef hails Broony as a captain fantastic

FORMER Celtic star Stefan Johansen reckons the influence of Scott Brown has helped him be appointed as captain of Norway.

The ex-Hoops midfielder has enjoyed an excellent season for Fulham after a sluggish start since his £2million move to London in August.

Now he has been named as the new Norwegian captain by Lars Lagerback.

And he insists he has learned the art of captaincy from the best – including Celtic and Scotland ace Brown.

Johansen said: “This is a fantastic honour for me.

“I have played with some amazingly good captains in my career.

“I had Scott Brown who has been captain of Celtic for many years.

“There was Per Ciljan Skjelbred on the national team and I am now playing with Scott Parker at Fulham who has had a fantastically good career.

“I have learned something from them all.”

And new Norway boss Lagerback reckons it was a no-brainer to appoint the 26-year-old as his skipper.

He said: “The way Stefan is as a footballer and as a man, he was the obvious choice for the role.

“He will be a very good captain for Norway. I’m sure of that.”