Gaffer Rodgers says his captain is as generous off pitch as he’s tough on it

but it’s because he’s so good. And away from football, he’s a caring person. He’s a different personality off the field.

“You can speak to guys who have come here, such as Jonny Hayes.

“He had a perception of Scott from the outside but he’s totally different behind the scenes.

“And acts like the donation to Liam’s family are a symbol of what Scott is like. It’s an incredible touch.

“Scott only goes into character on the field. People talk him down as a player.

“But his pass for our second goal against Rangers at Ibrox for Moussa Dembele was outstanding.

“If it had been played by Steven Gerrard or Kevin de Bruyne people would be raving about it.”

Brown has now retired from national duty but Rodgers is impressed by the midfield options available to Scotland.

On Tuesday night in Hungary, Alex McLeish opted for a midfield trio of Hibs star John McGinn and Celtic pair Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor.

Rodgers said: “Look through the Scotland team the other night.

“Scott McKenna can run, Jack Hendry is super-quick, Ryan Fraser is quick, Andy Robertson is quick – so is Matt Phillips and James Forrest.

“And all three central midfielders have good mobility.

“The top teams at international level have all that but have good technique and tactical awareness too.

“In the Hungary game, you had players of that ilk. Speed, power, unpredictability – Scotland have that.

“Young Jack is someone who might have got overlooked. But he’s 6ft 3ins, quick, he can play and defend.

“McGinn is tough, strong and getting better all the time. If you just match up man-for-man against top teams in the world you’ll probably lose.

“But what if you can find a dynamic way of playing?

“Scotland certainly have the players for that – it’s just about putting the pieces together and I’m sure Alex is doing that.”

Few players have benefitted more from Rodgers’ arrival in Glasgow than playmaker McGregor.

He excelled for Scotland in Budapest after having his career revived by the Parkhead gaffer.

And Rodgers now sees him growing in stature. He said: “Callum is a special talent because he’s flexible where he can play. Alex will have seen that last week.

“He’s a seven or eight out of 10 every week and has an incredible knack of keeping the ball. At international level, that’s a must.

“Callum makes the game look easy but there are few who can do what he does.

“And now I see him growing to be a leader. He has more confidence now to talk about the game with senior players.”