"If the measure is the Premier League, then he certainly could have played there at the very top end but it is only when you come in that you see the value of him."
Monday 26 February 2018 17:07, UK
Brendan Rodgers hailed the influence of Scott Brown after his Celtic captain called to an end his Scotland international career for a second time.
The 32-year-old, who captained and won 55 caps for his country, spoke to new Scotland boss Alex McLeish over the weekend and informed him of his decision to focus on his club career.
Brown, who had initially retired from international commitments in August 2016, returned to aid Gordan Strachan - his former Celtic manager - in their unsuccessful bid to reach this summer's World Cup in Russia.
When asked about the impact of Brown since Rodgers' tenure at Parkhead began, Rodgers said: "I certainly haven't realised how good a player he was until I worked with him.
"I have obviously seen him from the outside for a number of years and thought that he was a good player. If the measure is the Premier League, then he certainly could have played there at the very top end but it is only when you come in that you see the value of him.
"He eats, sleeps, and breathes football. That is Scott Brown. You see some modern players and they probably don't. They just pull on the jersey and call themselves footballers. He isn't that."
"He is a totally different person than he is a player. Really focused and he is a big game player. He makes big contributions and off the field he is a selfless captain.
"He eats, sleeps, and breathes football. That is Scott Brown. You see some modern players and they probably don't. They just pull on the jersey and call themselves footballers. He isn't that. It has been a real joy to work with him."
Rodgers, who admits the decision is "sad" news for Scotland, is delighted by Brown's decision and is confident it will enable the midfielder to "prolong his career a club level".
"I think he means it this time," the Celtic boss added. "It's obviously great news for Celtic and it is sad for the Scottish team.
"But I think the last time he went back was probably for Gordan [Strachan] and to help out someone that he was very close to.
"For him and his career going forward and for his own fitness, he is now getting to that stage of his career where he wants to prolong his career at club level. With the amount of games that we have at club level, taking away international football is a real sensible decision.
"He has been a wonderful player for Scotland, real inspirational captain and now Alex [McLeish] will obviously run with the next group of players that will hopefully go on and take his place."
The Northern Irishman confirmed he had spoken with Brown about the decision and described the Celtic player's decision to come out of retirement in November 2016 as a sign of "loyalty" to Strachan.
Rodgers said: "I spoke with him but it was purely his decision. He had time to think over it. The last time when he stopped he had a genuine intention to stop playing internationally then but his loyalty to Gordan and trying to help the team - that was struggling with injuries at the time - brought him back.
"He played on for a number more games for them which is the type of man that he is. Given time and after the failure of qualification for [the World Cup in Russia] it has given him the time to reflect and really look at where his career goes in these final years.
"It is great news for Celtic because we will have someone who is fresh and during the international breaks he can have a rest and we will benefit from that."
