Chris Sutton believes that yesterday’s Derby underlined the reasons why Scott Brown must have a playing role at Celtic next season.
The midfielder could be offered a step into management at Aberdeen if Stephen Glass is given the job of replacing Derek McInnes while the clock ticks down on his Celtic playing contract.
Brown wasn’t magnificent or dominating in yesterday’s stalemate but three months short of his 36th birthday it certainly looks like there is something in the tank for next season.
Celtic look set for a massive summer of turnover but as Sutton writes in the Daily Record the veteran skipper shouldn’t be heading out the door.
Scott Brown showed me once again why talk of moving into a coaching role at this stage of his career is simply not an option.
Much was made of the leadership qualities he displayed prior to kick-off when he marched into the opponents’ half during the warm-up to give his support to Glen Kamara.
But it was the way he competed against the Finn and the rest of the Rangers midfield for the 90 minutes that followed that was the key takeaway for me from a match that meant very little.
Brown proved again he’s good enough to keep going at this level and should be nowhere near Aberdeen or a coaching role in the summer.
The 35-year-old’s place is at Celtic Park helping with any transition and being the glue for the club when the big changes are made.
Ryan Christie and Olivier Ntcham are out of contract in June 2022 which points to transfers this summer with no suggestion that either will be renewing their Celtic contracts.
With a new manager, CEO and possibly a Director of Football some big decisions will need to be made soon with the future of the captain certainly a priority.