 Scott Brown admits Scotland's failure to qualify for the World Cup has really hit home after being forced to be an armchair fan over the last couple of weeks. But he has relished the opportunity to see some of his club-mates in action, especially Ki Sung-yueng, who impressed for South Korea. Brown can't wait to see him replicate that form at Celtic in the new season. Brown said: "He's been flying and he's had a few assists as well. He has been playing really well and we are looking forward to seeing him back here. It's hard to come in and settle at a club like Celtic, especially when you are a foreigner. He has shown he can do it with his country and he has shown us he can do it in training so hopefully he will do it on match days as well." As far as Brown is concerned, Ki will be returning to a happy dressing room following the confirmation of Neil Lennon as manager, after a successful interim spell at the end of last season. He said: "If you look at the last eight or nine games of the season, we all got behind the manager. He brings out confidence in you, he makes you believe in yourself and want to do better. I think that's the main thing. You've got to keep that dressing room happy and he has done that so far. He's a cool character as well and he will thrive on the pressure and look forward to every game. We will just try our hardest to go through the season and do the best we can and hopefully at the end of it we will pick up that trophy." However, Brown is still in the dark over whether he will retain the captain's armband, especially if previous skipper Stephen McManus returns to Celtic following his loan spell at Middlesbrough. He said: "I've not spoken to the manager about that yet. We will have to wait and see what happens when we get back to training. It's out of my hands. It's up to the gaffer so it will be whatever he decides." |