Strachan: Brown can blossom at Hoops

Gordon Strachan has told Scott Brown he can fulfil his potential at Celtic after his star midfielder was named PFA Scotland’s Player of the Year.

Brown took the plaudits from his fellow professionals at last night’s awards dinner in Glasgow for a series of dynamic displays that have helped the Hoops to the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League and Co-operative Insurance Cup glory.

The 23-year-old saw saw off competition from team-mate Gary Caldwell and Rangers pair Pedro Mendes and Steven Davis to land the gong for the first time.

The award is bound to increase interest in Brown, who was linked in January with both Tottenham and Portsmouth.

But Strachan does not believe it is inevitable he will eventually lose the player he signed from Hibernian for a reported £4.4m almost two years ago and has watched blossom from a raw talent into the driving force behind Celtic’s bid for a fourth straight SPL title.

“It’s not inevitable; I think there are players who stay at clubs for a long time,” Strachan told PA Sport.