SCOTT BROWN is many things to those with Celtic close to their heart.

The 31-year-old is a captain of a club striving for yet another Ladbrokes Premiership title as they also seek to extend their lead at the top of the table to 10 points this lunch time.

He is a commanding leader on the park to the seasoned stars around him as they battle on domestic and European fronts, and he is a guiding hand to the youngsters in the Celtic Academy that he has taken great pride in nurturing as he matures as a player, person and a future coach.

As well as all that, though, Brown is an example of loyalty to a club he is now in his 10th year of serving.

After joining from Hibernian in 2007, the central midfielder has had the opportunity to go further afield and pursue a career in more lucrative surroundings. White Hart Lane to give one example.

Yet at the time he chose to hang around at Parkhead and stay with then Hoops manager Gordon Strachan, the same man he is set to be reunited with to face England in a Scotland jersey next month.

His commitment to the Celtic cause has not only brought him within touching distance of surely a testimonial but the admiration of his new club gaffer Brendan Rodgers, who only this week revealed he would have had Brown in his Liverpool team.

What does this all tell us? Well, it's living proof of what can be achieved if players seek rewards other than those of a financial nature and stick to what football should be all about.

It is a philosophy that many Celtic fans will be hoping Brown can impart on the likes of Moussa Dembele as they continue to draw admirers from south of the M74.

“There have been a lot of players who have stayed here who have had great careers," he said. "There have been a lot of players who have had chance to go down south and have ended up playing relegation football while we are playing Champions League football in front of 60,000 fans against Messi and Iniesta. We pretty much get Barcelona every time we get into the competition.

"It is hard for young players. They see the amount of money down there now compared to what is up here. But, again, do you want to play first team football or do you want to stay here, push boundaries, enjoy your football and collect silverware.

"It is a great place to start your career and finish.

“He [Dembele] is a lovely character. He is a nice honest boy. He comes in, does his training and doesn’t say too much. He isn’t big time or anything. He works hard and just chills out.

"I think he is enjoying his football. As long as he is enjoying his football, hopefully he stays here for a long time as well. The manager brought him in and said he would be a top quality players and he is a top quality player.”

But was he not tempted himself?

“Yeah and no. When I was playing and Harry [Redknapp] was interested it was Gordon who was here. I was enjoying my time underneath Gordon.

"He was a great coach and we were in the Champions League every year. That is what made me stay.

"I spoke to Harry a couple of months ago. I met him at a charity do. He said that himself. He said: ‘Do you never fancy coming down to play for us?’ But it was a no brainer for me to stay for Gordon and do everything I could for Gordon. He put a lot of trust in me.

"When he signed me from Hibs I could have gone down to England. But when I spoke to Gordon I got that connection. I knew I wanted to work for him and would work hard for him. I got that vibe off him.

"I spent a lot of time with him here at Celtic and with Scotland as well. That was huge. The bond that I had with him and the respect I had for him were huge. That is why I stayed.”

Footballers are a superstitious lot and you would never say never, but Brown looks more at home now walking through the doors of Lennoxtown under Rodgers's watch than he perhaps has done since Strachan was the man standing holding the training bibs.

It is now hard to picture him playing his football anywhere else. After rekindling a spark under the Northern Irishman that many thought would never spark again, clubs in England may yet think that the man at the heart of the Celtic team can still make the transition to Premier League football.

Yet Brown insists he has no regrets about not swapping nights in the Nou Camp for Sundays at Stoke.

“No. I’ve played in the Champions League and into the last 16," he said. "I’ve got European and World Cup qualifiers with Scotland. I never made an actual championship but I played top, top quality teams and players and it’s been great playing here.

“On Champions League nights you get nothing better than playing at Celtic Park. You ask the best players in the world that come here. They’ve struggled to win here easily and perform as they do because of the crowd.”