Brown yet to decide his future

SCOTT BROWN last night broke his silence about his Scotland comeback — and insisted there is no timescale on his return to international football. With 50 caps to his credit, the Celtic skipper initially announced his retirement from national duty back in August in a bid to prolong his club career. But he has since reversed that decision and, after being named in Gordon Strachan’s squad to face England, is expected to start in Friday’s make-or-break World Cup qualifier at Wembley. Whether that proves to be a

one-off or a long-term commitment remains to be seen, with the 31-year-old saying: ‘I don’t know how many games it’s going to be for. ‘I’m coming back for the England game and we will see how my legs are after that. ‘First and foremost, my club form is more important than anything. The way I’m playing just now, I need to continue that as long as I possibly can. ‘After the game at Wembley, I’ll have a base to see if I can continue to push myself with Celtic and international games. ‘Celtic are due to play nine games in December, so that will be tough and I will need to see where my body is from that point. ‘I will know in my own head how I feel. After Wembley, there isn’t another Scotland game until March, so that will give me time to figure out how I feel. ‘Making that phone call to Gordon (about the initial retirement) was one of the hardest things I have ever done. ‘The backroom staff and I were having a bit of banter after I got my 50th cap, asking if I fancied coming back to play in the England game and I just kind of said: “Oh yeah, just get the gaffer to phone me”. ‘Then Gordon and I had a wee chat and, somehow, I’ve ended up coming out of retirement for this game.’ Strachan has also been handed a huge boost with the news that Robert Snodgrass will be fit for Friday night’s showdown at Wembley. An ankle injury was expected to rule Snodgrass out of the match, but Hull City boss Mike Phelan yesterday confirmed: ‘We had Robert training today (Friday). He has done his rehab with the physios. ‘Whether he can do enough to put himself in the picture to play against Southampton on Sunday will depend on how things go. ‘After that, I don’t think there will be any real issues for him. I’m sure he will be fit and ready to go with Scotland.’