Gordon Strachan: I expect Celtic captain Scott Brown to continue playing for Scotland

But the 31-year-old, who has enjoyed improved form this season as a result of taking a complete break from football in the summer, has refused to say if he would carry on.

Read more: Dedryck Boyata: I trained by myself until one o'clock in the morning to force my way back into the Celtic side

Brendan Rodgers, his manager at Parkhead, last week urged the 51-times capped midfielder to think carefully about whether he could combine playing for both club and country.

Rodgers is concerned about the scheduling of the Group F game against England at Hampden on June 10 – just a week before Celtic are due to start back for pre-season training.

The Northern Irishman feels being involved in the rematch with Gareth Southgate’s team will have a negative impact on his skipper’s preparations for Celtic’s vital Champions League qualifiers.

However, Strachan, whose team takes on Canada in a friendly at Easter Road on March 22 and then Slovenia in a Russia 2018 qualifier four days later, anticipates Brown being a member of his squad.

“I have spoken to lots of players and Scott is one of them,” said Strachan. “And not one of them has said they don’t want to be involved in the next game.

“I’m sure over the course of a conversation that if anyone felt like that – just as Alan Hutton did a few months ago – then they would have told me. Everyone is up for it and ready to go.

“There are loads I’ve spoken to over the past few weeks and they know how we’re going to approach the next game and none of them said ‘no, don’t pick me’.

“I spoke to him (Brown) in the last 10 days. I see no reason why Scott won’t be in the next squad. No-one has come to me and said I won’t be in the next squad.”

Read more: Dedryck Boyata: I trained by myself until one o'clock in the morning to force my way back into the Celtic side

Meanwhile, Strachan has admitted he is baffled at the sudden loss of form suffered by Leigh Griffiths, the Celtic striker who he started up front against England, this month.

But he stressed that footballers in the modern game will suffer the consequences unless they commit themselves fully to their professions.

“I’ve no idea what’s happened to Griff," he said. "You never pry into what’s going on at a club, you never say ‘what’s happened to my player’. It’s nothing to do with me.

“With us he’s never a problem. He has the odd migraine now and then, that’s all. He gets migraines.

“In general, he comes and I find him decent to work with. When he trains he trains hard, he’s decent to work with, he always has a nice sense of humour about him. He’s never caused me any bother. I played him in the last game.”

Strachan added: “But being a footballer now is different to when I started in this game on £60 a week, or £15 a week whatever it was. We were all on the same wage, we could mess about. We could play golf in the afternoon. You can’t do that now.

“As a football player, especially at a top club like Celtic, you are paid that kind of money, you dedicate your whole life to the game. Forget the nights out, you can drink as much as you want later on. You dedicate the whole thing to football, and there’s no excuse.

Read more: Dedryck Boyata: I trained by myself until one o'clock in the morning to force my way back into the Celtic side

“It’s the same when you come to our squad, you have to be committed to it, and be prepared to train morning and afternoon. If you don’t like it, don’t come along.

“It’s the same with alcohol. We have not had any alcohol in the Scotland team, including staff, everyone. You don’t need it. Also, it causes problems. Any problems you see with Scotland in last 50 years, alcohol has been involved somewhere along the line.

“I am big on that – and training and sleeping. I used to go to bed between two and four in the afternoon. Where did I get that from? Kenny Dalglish. He did the same thing.”