Celtic captain Scott Brown is reportedly planning on staying with Scotland and hopes to play a part in the nation’s Euro 2020 bid.
The 32-year-old was heavily rumoured to retire from international football after Scotland failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but a source close to the Scottish midfielder says that he is willing to help his country to the European Championships – as long as manager Gordon Strachan does so too.
Strachan’s future as Scotland manager will be discussed at an SFA board meeting this week, and Brown will make a decision on his future depending on how that meeting pans out.
The Celtic captain has already retired from international duty once in the summer of 2016, but was urged by Strachan to reverse that decision. His presence back in the Scotland squad prompted them to perform much better, but his absence in their final two games of the group were costly, as they failed to make the grade and will not be at next summer’s tournament.
A source close to the player told Record Sport : “Everyone expects Broonie to call it a day now that the World Cup has gone but the truth is he has loved every minute of being involved in this campaign and he is absolutely convinced that the team Strachan has put together will qualify for the Euros.”
“As far as he is concerned the manager is the only man for the job and if Strachan does stick around for another campaign then he would love to be a part of it.”
“It’s not just about his relationship with the manager. He also loves the aggressive way Strachan has got the team playing. The worry is that a new manager might adopt a far more cautious approach or, even worse, he might rip it all up and start again.”
“To a man the players feel that would be a mistake because they are moving in the right direction and are building some momentum together. Broonie certainly sees it that way.”
“He’ll be 35 when the Euros comes round and there would be no better way for him to bring the curtain down on his international career than by leading Scotland out at Hampden in a major finals.”