SCOTT BROWN does not possess the CV of a one-club man, but compels you to believe he now has the soul of one.

Born in Fife and raised by Hibernian, it took a £4.4m transfer fee to bring him to Parkhead in the summer of 2007 and end interest from Rangers in luring him to the other side of Glasgow. His is hardly classic Celtic DNA.

Yet, having reinvented himself as a more defensive-minded midfielder under Gordon Strachan, secured the captaincy and agreed a fresh four-year contract extension this week that takes him into testimonial territory, he has earned the right to think of himself as part of the furniture.

Indeed, he sees parallels between his own recent situation and that experienced by one of Celtic's favourite former sons, Paul McStay. McStay was once coveted by Internazionale and, on ending his career in green-and-white hoops, found himself questioned in some quarters for failing to embrace the challenge a move to England or abroad would have provided.

Brown, quite possibly enjoying the best spell of his career if recent displays at international level are any yardstick, has been attracting attention from the Barclays Premier League. Doesn't committing the remaining years of his top-level playing career to a Scottish club lacking competition at domestic level suggest a lack of ambition?

The 29-year-old argues otherwise. This is about more than just ambition. He feels happy at Celtic Park, at home there, wanted. He is competing for trophies and has already been invited to help out with the under-21 team as he seeks to establish a longer-term future in coaching. Being part of the fabric of a club carries its own currency and Brown points to the example of another high-profile midfield general as proof.

"Look at Steven Gerrard down at Liverpool," he said. "Liverpool has fitted him for all of his career. He's happy there, he enjoys his football and I'm the same. I enjoy it here and I don't see the point of moving somewhere I might not be happy. As the gaffer was saying, they've got big squads down in England and they chop and change.

"You could be unbelievable one minute and dropped the next. That's not somewhere I'd like to be at 29 years old. This is a great place. I enjoyed the Champions League, I enjoy the Europa League and I enjoy winning trophies. To go down there and not win anything and be in a relegation battle is not something I want. We play against the very best in the Champions League and you get that atmosphere here that exists nowhere else.

"I've been here so long it's hard to imagine being anywhere else. Here is the only place I know. I think I would even miss the drive through in the morning if I left.

"Paul [McStay]'s situation was his own situation, but I think I'm in the exact same boat as he was. I enjoy it here and Paul enjoyed it here. If you ask Paul, he wouldn't change his decision for the world because he was loved here and he always will be. I want to give a lot back to the fans. They've been great over the last few years when there's been no Rangers, no competitive league. We want to collect trophies to give them something back."

Brown also gives the impression of being keen to show a certain loyalty to Celtic. While unwilling to go into detail, he talks of the help they have provided in matters largely unconnected to what happens on the park. His sister, Fiona, was lost to skin cancer at the age of 21 during his first season at Parkhead and the club, having seen Tommy Burns succumb to the same disease, was quick to offer support.

"Because of what the club has done for me, I wanted to stay here," said Brown. "I'm talking about what the club has done for me on a personal level. They've done a lot for me, in recent times too. Just personal stuff.

"It is a family club and I wanted to repay them, although they might not be saying that in four years. It's good to give a bit back. It is great the way my relationship with the manager and the fans and Peter (Lawwell) is."

His current manager, Ronny Deila, stated at the club's annual meeting yesterday that he would like to have 11 Scott Browns in his side. "No he wouldn't," said the man himself. "I'm not very good in goals, but I'm all right at centre half."

Deila has involved his captain in his coaching team, with Brown now helping Stevie Frail with the Celtic under-21s. Asked how he would cope with handling a 17-year-old Scott Brown as a coach, his reply was suitably frank.

"Aw, **** sake," he said. "We will work on that one later. He wouldn't have a red Mohawk anyway. I'm studying for my B licence, but I've not passed it yet. I know I've not got 10 or 15 years left in the game.

"I'm not a silly kid anymore. Well, to a point, but I want to stay in football as it's probably the only thing I know how to do. I could have gone down south, signed a two-year deal somewhere and become the forgotten man, but I want to finish my B license and get my A license done before I retire. I remember being at Hibs and Gary Smith was coming towards the end of his career. I remember thinking: 'You old *******, imagine being 35 and looking forward to getting into coaching'.

"I just loved playing football back then, but Gary was ahead of his time. He knew it wouldn't last forever. It's great I now understand what he was thinking."

With Brown tied up, the Celtic management are now turning their attention to John Guidetti, who has made such a positive impression while on loan from Manchester City. A transfer fee has been agreed with the English club, with Guidetti's representatives expected to arrive in Glasgow to begin negotiations over personal terms next week.

Deila said at the club's agm: "Keeping Guidetti is unbelievably important, but everything has a price. If you had been at the negotiations, you would start laughing because it is crazy. If we pay three times or double the salary of others in the group, we have a problem. We have to do it the right way."

Deila also told shareholders that improvement must be made within the club's medical department after being quizzed about players such as James Forrest, who appear to suffer recurring injuries.

"We need a good evaluation of what we are doing," he said. "I brought in another physio to watch what we do because [being] okay is not good enough if we are to be a Champions League team.

"You have to build a machine that's ready to play regularly."