BRENDAN RODGERS hailed Scott Brown as a complete midfielder after the Celtic skipper scored the only goal of the game in the Ladbrokes Premiership win over Dundee at Dens Park.
The 31-year-old Scot retired from international football in the summer to concentrate on his club career and he has been in top form this season under the former Swansea and Liverpool boss. Another fine display on Tayside, where he scored the winner two minutes into the second-half with a left-foot finish, followed an inspirational performance in the 3-3 Champions League draw with Premier League leaders Manchester City at Parkhead on Wednesday.
After the game, Rodgers waxed lyrical about Brown, claiming he could also play at centre-back, but the Parkhead manager is thrilled to have him in the heart of midfield and all to himself: "If you are looking for a midfielder, he has everything that you want. He is very inspiring for his team-mates. He has shown in the last week what a top player he is," he said.
"Obviously, it is great for me, it's sad for Scotland. I looked at him on Wednesday night. This is a guy who was playing against some of the top midfield players in the world in one of the top teams in Europe and he dominated the midfield.
"His ability to pass the ball is something we talked to him and the team on, about looking after the ball because, whether British or Scottish players, you can play football, you are not just runners and Scott is a wonderful demonstration of that. He is highly-gifted, technically. Tactically, he has impressed me; physically, he is super strong, super-fit and he is a tough guy, mentally. He is a wonderful captain for me.
"From the outside looking in, I always seen him as that one who can run. Sometimes, players like that get labelled like that and, if they are told it often enough, they think they just run. But he can play football.
"He has a wonderful touch, wonderful awareness of where he is in the field, he can play short, he can play long, he has a calmness in his finish. I see a player high in confidence and playing at the top of his game and he can get better."
Celtic have dropped only two points in seven fixtures and are motoring toward their sixth successive title: "The legs were a bit tired, but we came out in the second-half and showed what we are all about and, lucky enough, it fell to my left foot instead of my right," Brown said.
"It is not often I score, but it was a great performance from the whole team, we defended well from the back to the front. I think momentum took us through that game, we have been playing really well at home and we need to show it away from home."
Struggling Dundee are still looking for their first victory since the opening day of the season, when they won 3-1 at Ross County. However, manager Paul Hartley was happy with his side's performance and especially the improvement since last week's 3-1 defeat at Inverness.
He said: "I am pleased with the players. We needed a big performance today and a big reaction from last week.
"Celtic are a quality team, they only made one change from the Man City game, but I felt we were good today. I thought our organisation and discipline was good and I thought we were brave playing two up and trying to high press against them.
"They didn't really cut us open and I felt we were always in the game."
