Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has claimed that his captain Scott Brown made the "right move" in quitting Scotland duty in order to prolong his club career.
The 31-year-old, who earned 50 caps for his country, announced his decision to retire this morning.
Brown made the call one week before Gordon Strachan is due to name his squad for Scotland's opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Malta next month.
"I think for him it's the right move," Rodgers told Celtic's official website. "He's into that final chapter of his career and he's still got a number of years left in him yet and he'll want to give those best times to Celtic. When you've been a player playing 60-70 games a season over the last few years, you need to look after your body. It's probably just come at the right time for him.
"He's a wonderful footballer for Scotland. He's had 50 caps and lots of players when they start out in their career, if they can get to 50 caps they've had a really good international career.
"For Scott it's obviously sad when it comes to an end but it's certainly good news for Celtic and the club's supporters as it means he can be physically and mentally right for playing for Celtic for the next numbers of years."
Brown has been a Celtic player since 2007 when he joined from Hibernian.
Danielle Joynson
