I don’t think there is any doubt that Scott Brown has proven himself as a bona fide Celtic captain these last few years.

He really did prove a lot of people wrong with an increased maturity on the pitch and I wasn’t overly surprised to hear Brendan Rodgers say that he will remains integral to the Celtic team. He is the club captain and that is the way it should be.

But I still think it is interesting that over the last six weeks or so that there has been any debate about Brown going back into the team at all. The very fact that this is a conversation that has been had in pubs and workplaces is a surprise in itself because only a couple of months ago it would have been unimaginable.

So it comes down to just how well the team have played in Brown’s absence. I have to say that I know from my own experience that you need to be watching a player in training, watching body language, work rate, energy, all of that to get a genuine picture in your mind about where they are and how ready they are to play.

I always think that you have to factor that into your thinking when you talk about picking a team because if you’re the manager then you are seeing considerably more than everyone else.

But if it was me I think I would be tempted to put Brown back into the team for the game against Rosenborg in Trondheim on Thursday night.

It is a game that I think Celtic really need to go and win and in that respect the experience of Brown for a game of this ilk could be invaluable. If the game against Rosenborg was at Celtic Park I don’t know that I would have been so inclined to change things simply because of how well the team have played in recent weeks but going away from home is different.

I know that Rosenborg look like the whipping boys of the group but they are still top of their own league by a fair distance and there is no team who walks onto a park looking to lose a game.

They might only be playing for pride on Thursday night but they won’t want to go down without a fight.

With or without Brown, though, I think Celtic are capable of going there and getting a result. A draw could be enough but ideally you want to go there with the mindset of winning the game.

The fact that they have fared so well over Rosenborg in the games that they have played against them over the last 18 months could well give them some sort of psychological edge but the most important thing is simply focussing on the here and now.

A win would really tee up a big finale against Salzburg in December and the way that the team have been playing of late would certainly lend itself to the theory that they are good enough to qualify out of the group.

James Forrest has been exceptional over the last few months and his goals for Scotland underlined the confidence and belief that he is playing with right now.

It is not just the performance or the goals he scored but the quality of each of them. That second one against Albania was special and the thing about it is how easy he made all of the goals look.

I watched a little bit of the England game and at one point Raheem Sterling was 1 v 1 with the keeper but didn’t put it away – it is not always easy.

Given that he is a wide player, what he is doing just now and how influential he is whenever he is on the park. He has been pretty sensational of late and what really strikes you is just how fit Rodgers has got the team both collectively and individually.

They look strong and I when you watch guys like Forrest, Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney it is really noticeable.

It’ll be needed as Celtic enter into a pretty hectic period between now and the game at Ibrox at the end of December. It is an 11-game run but it is not just a run of games, but a run of games that can be definitive in how the season shapes up.