Hoops midfielder Stuart Armstrong has praised the dedication of Celtic captain Scott Brown.

The duo combined to great effect at Pittodrie on Sunday afternoon to score the only goal of the game and Armstrong believes that it is Brown's constant hunger and desire to win which make him such a natural leader at the club.

"I always used to like putting myself up against him and playing against him," said Armstrong. "He's Scotland captain and done a lot in the game, so I wanted to see how I fared against him.

"My perception hasn't changed, he's still a very good player.

"It is good to have him now as a team-mate. He's a great player to have in your side.

"I think the goal on Sunday just epitomised what he brings to the team, the tackle, the run, the finish, the determination.

"That's the passion he has and the determination he brings to every single game.

"You want your captain to be like that. That's why he's such a good player and why he is where he is. It's why he is captain."

Such is Armstrong's dedication to both his football and his studies that this year's passport is not awaiting use.

The midfielder was coy on revealing his summer plans, other than to reveal that the next few weeks will be spent furiously catching up on essay work as he looks to finish this term of his Open University law degree.

The fact that he has not already booked up, however, leaves the door open for a call up to Gordon Strachan's Scotland squad. Armstrong has been capped at under-19 and under-21 level but has yet to receive full international honours.

It would seem inevitable that he will be called into Strachan's squad sooner rather than later but he was reluctant to verbalise his international ambitions.

"I'm just concentrating on here and finishing the season strongly," he said. "That's where my focus lies. Of course, I think if you asked any player if they'd like to represent their country the answer would be yes. But as I've said my focus is on here and doing well here."

His next immediate concern is Uefa Champions League football.

Both Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven have made the transition from Dundee United to Celtic with ease but the coming months will show them a further step up in levels - not just on the park but off it too as the pressure around the European qualifiers mounts.

Both men acquitted themselves impressively in the Europa League against Inter Milan - Armstrong scored against the Italians at Celtic Park - and it has whet the appetite for more of the same.

"That's the ambition," said Armstrong. "To play in the group stages like some of the boys have done in previous years would be a phenomenal experience.

"To go from watching the games on the TV to playing in them would be great and play at all these big European stadiums would be fantastic.

"On the biggest scale and the importance of it the game against Inter were two of the biggest games I've played and probably two of the most I've enjoyed as well.

"So it was a great experience and keep me in good stead for next season.

"Obviously I've played in this league for a few years now so I was used to that but playing on a European scale, I'd had only one experience of that at Dundee United, so to be in the team coming up against Inter Milan and to do well in the game was a really nice feeling."

Firstly, though, there is a looming title party that the 23-year-old is eager to anticipate.

Celtic will play St Johnstone at Perth on Friday night before receiving the league trophy next weekend when the club conclude their season with a home game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

"I'm looking forward to doing that," smiled Armstrong. "It's been a while since I've won anything, going back to my boys' club days. But I'm also still keeping my focus on the two games still to be played.

"I think that's been present also in training. We keep our intensity at the training ground and stay focused. We want to get the maximum amount of points and I think we showed at the weekend that we were very focused on getting the three points and making it four wins out of four."

Celtic have been linked with moves for Dundee United pair Nadir Ciftci and John Souttar this summer. While Armstrong was keen to talk up the talents of both players, he was reluctant to spek out of turn when it comes to advising his boss to sign them up.

"Yes, they are two big talents," he said. "I've played with them for a number of years and seen them up close. I know they are good players and it's a compliment to the club [Dundee United] they are bringing through a lot of young players."