DARREN FLETCHER is set to be named as the new Scotland captain following the retirement of Scott Brown.
The Celtic midfielder announced last week that he was stepping away from international football ahead of the qualifying campaign for the next World Cup that begins away in Malta on September 4.
It is understood manager Gordon Strachan will now look to Fletcher to take over the armband.
The West Bromwich Albion midfielder captained the Scotland team in their two end-of-season friendlies against France and Italy when Brown was rested, and was the permanent on-field leader prior to his enforced break from the game as he came to terms with the debilitating illness ulcerative colitis.
Strachan would not be drawn on who would succeed Brown in the captain’s role as he named his 27-man squad for the game against Malta but Fletcher will almost certainly resume that responsibility.
The 32 year-old started only two games in the ultimately unsuccessful Euro 2016 qualifying campaign but with Brown now retired, Charlie Mulgrew not selected due to uncertainty over his future at club level, and James McArthur recovering from injury, Fletcher would seem to have a reasonable chance of featuring more regularly in the campaign ahead.
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The West Brom captain has played the full 90 minutes in both of his club’s opening Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Everton.
Strachan revealed he only discovered a few weeks ago that Brown was thinking of retiring from international football but did not attempt to try to talk the player out of his decision.
“I would say I learned about it 10 days before Celtic’s game at Celtic Park, the last one [against Hapoel Be’er-Sheva],” he said. “And if you ask him, he had a real horrendous time plucking up the courage. And he didn’t need to, trust me. I spoke to him on the phone first, and then I saw him after that game. As we were sitting there in the treatment room talking, everyone was coming in and going, “well done Broony, terrific!” and saying to me, “you must be delighted he is playing so well”.
“Me and him were the only ones who knew he was retiring. So it was a bit of a strange night with everyone saying it was great for Scotland that he was man of the match. He goes into the “mate” category now that I'm not his manager.”
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