STAY & WE’LL SEAL THE 10 Brown urges Celtic to stick together for next season

SCOTT BROWN has urged his Celtic teammates to stay at the club as focus shifts to delivering a historic 10th league title in a row next season.

The Celtic captain was delighted to finally receive confirmation this week of a ninth successive Premiership title after SPFL clubs voted to curtail the current campaign in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.

Several members of the squad who delivered that trophy may not be around for next season though, with Fraser Forster and Mohamed Elyounoussi both on loan from Southampton last term, other players now out of contract and inevitable transfer speculation surrounding prize asset Odsonne Edouard.

But Brown is hoping that the core of Neil Lennon’s team can stay together as they look to make Scottish football history, and then make amends for not being able to celebrate this title together.

“Ideally, there would have been the chance for the boys to lift the trophy in front of 60,000 at Celtic Park and to celebrate it with the fans,” Brown said.

“That’s not going to happen for a long, long time, though, it seems. I feel for the lads, but they are at the right club and they are going to win other trophies.

“So, it would be good to keep as many players as we possibly can into next season who know what it’s like to win trophy.

“Things can change in football. Players can move on and changes can happen. That’s just part of the game, but it’d be great if all the lads could still be here and we could go on again into next season, if it was possible.

“I don’t know what the situation is with the loans, for example. I’m not sure what the happens there. But it would be great to get big Fraser back. The big man has enjoyed his time here and he’s been fantastic.

“Elyounoussi also really well for us until injury stopped him.

“He was just getting back to fitness and we were looking forward to him getting back. It’s did his hard when they are on loan in this situation. We might not see them again.

“Boys like Jonny Hayes and Craigie Gordon. We don’t know what’s happening.

“But we have players who know what it’s like to win trophies and titles and want as many as them as you can in your squad.”