STEPHEN WELSH has urged Celtic captain Scott Brown to put pen to paper on a new deal to remain at the club, saying that the 35-year-old still has plenty to offer both on the field as a player and off it as a hugely positive influence on the squad.
Brown was perhaps the standout performer in Saturday’s win over Aberdeen at Celtic Park, a day on from his revelation that the club are allowing him to decide whether he wants to stay on as a player for another season or move on to their coaching staff in the summer.
Welsh hopes that he decides against hanging his boots up just yet, saying that his contribution on the field is underrated even now in the twilight of his playing career.
"Broony is massive for us,” Welsh said. “Massive.
"He's our leader and we would miss him a lot if he wasn't there next season.
"We need to take every day as it comes. I don't know what he's going to do.
"Personally I would love him to be here as long as possible because he helps me so much.
"He helps every single player in the team as captain and when he's on the pitch he is brilliant for us.
"We will see what happens but Broony is such an important player for us.
"Everybody sees what he does on the park but off the park he is just as big.
"When it comes to the atmosphere in the changing room and bringing everyone together, Broony is at the centre of it.
"He gets us going, he leads us on the park, he's always talking to you and he is also a quality player.
"You can't discount how good a player he still is and he has been such a big help to me over the last few years.
"His intensity in every single training session never drops for a second.
"Every single day, even if it's a rest day, he is doing everything he can to prepare in the right way.
"If you look at our training sessions, his stats are still up there as the highest in terms of runs. Broony is always at the top and he is one of the fittest players in the team.
"He has been brilliant for Celtic for so many years and it goes without saying that we all want him to stay.
"It's completely up to him. He's achieved so much for the club and it's only right that he makes the decision.
"But yeah, of course we all want him to stay.”
Meanwhile, Welsh has told of the positive influence interim manager John Kennedy has had on him since he has come into the first-team picture, and he believes that Kennedy’s experience as a former Celtic centre-half himself will be beneficial to his own development.
"My first experience of working with him was when I first came to train with the first team, maybe four years ago,” he said. "But he's been a big help all the way through from that day and he's a great coach.
"As a former defender, I know he can help me a lot and he already has.
"I don't remember Kendo playing for Celtic. I'm only 21 - but my dad has told me a lot about him.
"He said he was a top player and would have done big things, but I know he was unfortunate with injuries. But he's put all that experience into being a coach now and I think it's worked out well for him.
"Stephen McManus is also up with the first team and he was my reserves coach. Both of them played central defence for Celtic at a really high level so that's great for me as a young player.
"It's a very familiar set-up for me and I find it easy to go and talk to them about things and have a chat.
"Likewise, they know me and that probably helps when it comes to coaching.”
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