Brendan Rodgers has ruled Scott Brown out of Celtic’s Scottish Premiership clash against St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park on Sunday.
Brown, 33, failed to feature in the 3-1 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday and it has now been confirmed that he won’t return to action until after the upcoming international break, which starts after this weekend’s action.
“Scott Brown will be out for the weekend but will rejoin training after the International break,” said Rodgers, as quoted by Celtic’s official Twitter account on Friday afternoon.
? BR: “Scott Brown will be out for the weekend but will rejoin training after the International break.” #STJCEL
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 5, 2018
Brown has been untouchable in Rodgers’ starting line-up this season, with him starting in every single game across all competitions since he was ruled out of the Aberdeen and Red Bull Salzburg games over the last week.
OPINION
Celtic really missed Brown against Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday night as Olivier Ntcham yet again struggled to get a foothold in the midfield. Youssouf Mulumbu did a fantastic job on his European debut for the Hoops, and if Brown was fit, the former West Brom midfielder would likely partner Brown in the heart of Rodgers’ formation this weekend. It is a blow to be without the club captain because he is so key to how the side plays. Brown’s work often goes under the radar and he really is getting better with age. The former Scotland international has made 17 appearances across all competitions this season, completing 90 minutes in every single one of them despite being 33-years-old. You hear about players needing rests when there are two games to play in a week, but not Broonie, who just never seems to tire of playing for the club he loves.