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da bet sport： Former Celtic favourite Frank McAvennie expects manager Neil Lennon to use Scott Brown in a reduced role next season, as reported by The Scottish Sun.
What’s he said?
With Brendan Rodgers leaving and new manager Lennon embarking on a new era at the club, this summer is something of a transitional one for Celtic.
Plenty of players have left already, most notably in defence, and at the very least it’s a good opportunity for the new boss to assess mainstays in the Celtic side and determine whether they still offer the team everything they once did.
McAvennie reckons that one player who could play less football next season is Brown, who, at 33 years of age, is now entering his 13th season with the Scottish champions.
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As quoted by The Scottish Sun, the former Hoops striker said:
“Neil needs to make sure they are ready to hit the ground running on July 9 or 10. The positive thing is he knows this. He knows the club and the demands.
It’s not like Celtic have appointed a new manager who needs time to get his feet in the door. Lenny will return for pre-season this week ready to go.
He needs to find a balance with the likes of Callum McGregor, who played his last game of the season for Scotland just last week.
I don’t expect Scott Brown to play every week, either. He’ll still be a huge influence on everything that goes on but I think he’ll be used more sparingly.
And I’m also sure Lenny will be especially keen to get some new faces on board by the time they play that first qualifier.”
Should Brown play less next season?
Celtic arguably played their best football of the season last year when Brown was injured and out of the Hoops team.
A midfield three of Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and Tom Rogic were in superb form in October and November, with a run of four games standing out as particular highlights.
A 3-0 win against Hearts at Murrayfield was followed up directly with 5-0 wins away to Dundee and then at home to the Jam Tarts.
It was in Europe that it truly all came together though, with the team winning 2-1 against RB Leipzig with what was perhaps the best 90 minutes of Celtic’s season in terms of quality of performance.
Brown didn’t play in any of those matches and it does highlight that the team can play some scintillating stuff in the middle of the park with the captain absent.
It must be said though that his leadership qualities shone through in the second half of the season and he is by no means done at Celtic.
Perhaps next season there should be more experimentation in that area, especially in matches where the team doesn’t need his defensive contribution as much.
The Hoops need to plan for life without Brown one day, so why not make it a gradual process?