CAPTAIN’S CLUB AND COUNTRY VOW
SCOTT BROWN has pledged his long-term future to club AND country – by revealing he will sign a contract extension with Celtic and is now available for selection by Scotland indefinitely.
Brown’s current deal with the Parkhead club, who he joined from Hibernian in a £4.4million transfer back in 2007, expires at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
But Brendan Rodgers, who has a key bond with his skipper, is keen for him to remain beyond that and has held talks with the player.
The 32-year-old, who has been awarded a testimonial said: “I’d love to stay. Celtic
know I’m not going to go nowhere. I would like to finish my career here, whether it is two, three or four years down the line. Playing in front of 60,000 at Celtic Park is the best feeling I’ve ever had.
“It is a good thing that the gaffer and I have got that relationship. We sat down and spoke. He asked me and I said I would be delighted to do it again. He said: ‘Well, we’ll sort something out’.
“But we will wait until we get through the qualifiers. We don’t want that situation rumbling on over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got to focus on getting to the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, Brown, who came out of international retirement last season to play for Scotland in their Russia 2018 qualifier against England at Wembley in November, now plans to play on for his country.
He decided not to represent his country in August last year after being dogged by niggling injuries and disappointing form. However, a complete break from the game last summer led to a dramatic improvement in his fitness and performances and he reversed his decision just two months later.
Initially, he made himself available on a game-by-game basis. But after doing well in Group F matches against Slovenia in March and England again last month he now intends to keep turning out for the national team as long as he is selected.
He said: “As long as I’m fit I’ll be fine. I spoke to Gordon (Scotland manager Strachan) and he said it was up to me. The gaffer (Rodgers) is brand new as well. He says it’s my decision. Whether I go on for this campaign or the next campaign, it’s a question of how long my legs can go on doing it for.
“I missed it. I maybe jumped in a wee bit too early in saying I was retiring. But I’d done what was best for me. Now, for me to have come back and worked on my fitness, I’m probably back stronger than I’ve ever been.”