A lot has been made about Celtic’s recent resurgence amid the absence of Scott Brown.
The captain was ruled out for three weeks after suffering a calf strain.
Brown has missed all four games since coming off in the early stages of the 4-2 win at Hibernian.
Some Celtic fans believe Brown will have a tough job getting back into the team when fit.
They may be setting themselves up for a fall because Brown is the first name on Brendan Rodgers’ team sheet.
And rightfully so. Brown has been at the heart of everything good about Celtic since Rodgers took charge.
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His drive and leadership in the midfield has spurred Celtic on to back to back domestic trebles.
There is concerns he doesn’t move the ball quickly enough at times, and keeps it going sideways rather than forward.
However his play allows the more creative players around him to flourish.
Manager’s man on the park
This was non more evident than the victory over Rangers in September.
Brown’s doggedness allowed Olivier Ntcham to dominate the game for Celtic.
Rodgers trusts Brown more than any other player at the club. Their bond has been a key factor in Celtic’s dominance in recent years.
The skipper’s absence may not have been felt as hard recently as it would have been in years gone by.
However, Celtic will undoubtedly miss their leader on Thursday when RB Leipzig come to town.
It is a massive loss for the Bhoys, and it is imperative that he gets back fit for the remaining Europa League games.
It can’t be denied that the Hoops are flying at the moment domestically. But to say that it’s down to their captain being absent from the team is a stretch.
We’ll never truly appreciate his service until we can no longer call on it.