Scott Brown has thanked Gordon Strachan after stepping down from international duty.

The announcement came yesterday morning with the 31-year-old opting to focus on club football.

Brown collected his 50th Scotland cap in March and said that making the decision to quit Scotland was the hardest of his career.

“Firstly, I would like to thank Gordon for giving me the honour of not only playing for my country but captaining Scotland in the last campaign," he told the SFA. "I also owe a debt to every Scotland manager before him who selected me – right back to Walter Smith handing me my senior debut, and the national youth coaches along the way,” he said.

“Gordon has been one of the most influential people in my career and I did not want to let him or my country down but over the summer I had a lot of thinking to do. It’s no secret that I’ve suffered some injuries in my career and once you get over 30 you have to protect your body more, in any case.

“I’m not the type of player who can coast half-heartedly through a game – I give 100% every time. Given the importance of this campaign for Scotland, and the challenges ahead at Celtic, I simply felt that I could not keep up both commitments without either my performances or recovery time suffering.

“Gordon understands this completely and I would hope the Scotland supporters understand my position, too. The personal disappointment of not reaching a major championship finals with my country was heightened this summer but we have a great squad of players and I am certain that we can really make a go of this campaign and qualify for Russia."

And Strachan was mutually appreciative of Brown's contribution.

“Scott is one of the most wholehearted players I’ve encountered and somebody who puts the team ahead of himself," said Strachan. "He is not the type to play within himself, either, and I understand and respect the decision he has taken.

“We will miss Scott as a player, no doubt about it, but football evolves and it provides an opportunity for others to step-up take that responsibility. We’ll miss him as a person, too, because his influence and popularity around the squad was integral to all that we did as a group.”