Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has stressed the importance of having a senior figure like Scott Brown inside the dressing room in the aftermath of Brendan Rodgers' departure.
The Hoops booked their berth in the semi-final of the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win over Hibernian at Easter Road last Saturday as both James Forrest and Brown netted for the visitors.
Brown, who has been a central figure at Parkhead for over a decade, has now scored three goals in all competitions, including a last-gasp winner at Rugby Park against Kilmarnock last month.
And in the wake of his recent goalscoring exploits for Celtic, Kennedy has admitted that Brown has always been a crucial part of the team and claimed he is now getting back to his influential best after securing his future with a new contract in January.
“I think he [Brown] always has been [crucial to the team]”, Kennedy said on Celtic TV.
“Obviously, a bit of speculation surrounding him this season, but I think getting his deal signed, knowing he is here for a longer period has helped him.
“I think you’ve seen that and how he has come in, as he does, he stands up on the pitch and [makes it] count when it really matters.”
Despite Rodgers’ departure, Kennedy has opted to remain in Glasgow and is currently serving as the deputy to Neil Lennon.
The former Celtic star stressed that the importance of having someone like Brown in the dressing room was essential for the Bhoys to deal with the shock of Rodgers’ departure.
Kennedy went on to claim that Brown is almost like a coach in the dressing room and insists he is someone any club would ideally want in the team whenever there is a crisis.
“This last week, it’s difficult to manage some situations, but when you’ve got a character like Scott, who is in the dressing room and controls the players the way he does when the coach’s eyes are not on it, he is pretty much a coach in the dressing room”, he continued.
“He deals with things that don’t always have to come in the manager’s direction and he leads by example.
“In the last five, six years, I’ve never seen him have a bad session, so he sets an example that a lot of other players then follow on from.
“At times when there might a question mark hanging over you, you know Scott Brown is one of the characters that you want alongside you.”
Celtic return to action in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, when they host Aberdeen at Parkhead, as they aim to maintain their unbeaten start in Scotland since the turn of the year.
