Scott Brown: Celtic captain says title won't be diminished if season called early

Celtic's League Cup success in December was their 10th consecutive trophy in domestic football

Celtic's record-equalling ninth title in a row would not be a lesser achievement if the season is called early, says captain Scott Brown.

Neil Lennon's side were on track for the Scottish Premiership crown when football was halted by coronavirus.

The SPFL's successful resolution gives it the power to call the top flight.

Asked if Celtic glory would feel "diminished", Brown said: "No. We're 13 points clear with a great goal difference and eight games to play."

Aberdeen, Hibernian and Rangers are keen to explore the options of playing the season to a finish.

Brown's preference is also to complete the campaign, though he believes that prospect is becoming increasingly unlikely.

Speaking to BBC Scotland's Sportsound programme, he said: "I want to play and show how well we've done over the whole season. We've won a cup, we've done extremely well.

"We had a blip in December but then came back and won every game apart from Livingston away. I'd love to see it get completed to show how strong we were going to finish.

"We want that nine in a row and to make sure we've played as many games as we can. But with what's going on just now, social distancing, I can't see the games getting played."

'I turned down Premier League moves'

At 34, Brown - a £4.5m signing from Hibernian in 2007 - has been a mainstay in Celtic's midfield for the duration of their title-winning dominance.

He revealed he turned down offers from English Premier League clubs when current manager Neil Lennon began his first stint in charge of Celtic 10 years ago.

"I've had opportunities to go down the road and turned my back on them," Brown said.

"When Neil got the job, I had the chance to go to Spurs and Newcastle. The club had done a lot for me and I wanted to stay. I enjoyed playing for Celtic and winning trophies.

"Neil offered me a five-year deal and I jumped at the chance of it."

Brown's current deal runs until next year, but even if that coincides with Celtic having won a 10th consecutive title, he is putting no timescale on retirement.

Having previously said he would be "done and dusted" as a player by summer 2021, he is now open to the prospect of playing on beyond 36.

"I'll keep playing until somebody says, 'Right Broonie, your legs have completely gone and you're starting to embarrass yourself in front of 60,000 fans,'" he said.

"As long as I'm still keeping up with the lads and the manager has faith in me to play, I'm willing to do that. It might not be 60 games a season, it might be 30 or 40 or whatever he needs me for."