SCOTT Brown admitted last night that he will be playing with a point to prove when he captains Scotland against England at Hampden this Saturday and that adding the scalp of the Auld Enemy to an invincible treble would cap “a right good couple of weeks”.

Paul Scholes said in the lead-up to the game that he wasn’t sure whether Brown would “have had the same influence” had he moved to the Barclays Premier League rather than play out his career in Scotland, but the 31-year-old – coming off an excellent campaign – has no shortage of motivation.

“I’m wanting to prove a little point that I’m not finished yet and I’ve got a few years left,” said Brown. “Captain for Celtic’s Treble and beat England for Scotland? That’d be nice. A right good couple of weeks.”

Having retired from international football last summer – an act he calls “the first selfish thing he has done in football” and also perhaps the best move of his career – Brown is as integral to Scotland’s hopes of reaching Russia as he has ever been. A virtual ever-present in a gruelling domestic season with Celtic, he feels his conditioning is up to one more challenge, against Gareth Southgate’s catalogue of English-based superstars, and being underdogs on the day will suit Scotland.

“I had five days off before meeting up the squad, so that was about rest and recovery,” he said. “The manager will have us doing double sessions going into the match, but everyone has been looking after themselves “It is better for us to be underdogs. When we go out with Scotland as favourites, we seem to disappoint. So here’s hoping we can produce something special, especially at Hampden.”

Hampden has no shortage of critics but Brown feels the sodden pitch played perfectly during the Scottish Cup final. Further rain is forecast again this week, but Queen’s Park’s season finished more than a month ago. “I have to say the pitch was phenomenal for the Scottish Cup final,” he said. “Once it’s wet and it’s not had a lot of games on it, it’s joy to play on. ”

Brown revealed further details of the two heart-to-heart conversations he had with the Scotland manager and how taking himself out of the firing line convinced him he still had years left at the top.

“I am enjoying my football and, as soon as that happens, you might as well play as much as possible,” said Brown. “Last year, I wasn’t fit and I wasn’t enjoying it. That’s what happens when you are struggling with injuries. I thought my playing career was coming to an end and it was one injury after another. It was a hard season for me.

“Gordon came to my house at the end of last season and said: ‘how are you feeling?’” he added. “I said ‘my legs have gone, I’m struggling to chase people around and I’m not feeling myself’. He said: ‘I see that’. ‘Everyone sees that’. ‘How are you going to fix yourself?’ ‘What are you going to do?’ ‘Coaching?’ ‘Put that to one side.’ ‘Coach when you are 40.’ ‘Go out there and prove everyone wrong.’ “I had to change a lot of things and try to get myself as fit as possible and then maintain that. For me to call it a day with Scotland might have been a bit premature, but I got the six weeks off, I got the holidays and I came back feeling as fit as I ever have done.

“Me and Gordon had another wee chat. I was the one who drove it, because I love playing with Scotland. It’s great. At the time I was the captain and I was sad that I had to give that up, but I had to do it for myself. It’s the first selfish thing I have done in football to look after myself and it was the best decision that I’ve probably made.”