Brendan Rodgers settles the Scott Brown Premier League debate as Celtic legend ruled fit for 'a top club'

Brendan Rodgers has already been on the end of Scott Brown’s phone.

As soon as the Leicester City boss heard the news on Tuesday that his old skipper might be ready to reinvent himself as a manager having hung up his boots at Aberdeen, an invitation was extended for Brown to travel down south for a cup of tea and a catch-up.

“Yeah, I’m already on the case with that,” Rodgers nodded yesterday as he prepared to welcome Brown back over the border like a long lost son.

That the Northern Irishman might ordinarily be considered to have quite enough on his plate already, given that he’s in the middle of preparing for Thursday’s last 16 tie with Rennes in the UEFA Conference League, is indicative of the strength of bond between this pair. A cast iron legacy from a trophy laden empire together at Celtic.

Rodgers added: “We’re going to have a chat about organising for him to come down because he gave me so much in my time there and I want to try to be reciprocal to him. He’s someone that my door will always be open to.”

In other circumstances, Rodgers might have made that phone call years ago. And not just for a chat and a tour of Leicester's state of the art training facilities.

No, Rodgers is convinced that Brown could have spent his very best years, barrelling out his chest around England’s top flight and making a mark on the greatest league in the world. If only, that is, he could have been talked into leaving Celtic behind. And Rodgers always knew that could never happen.

But now that Brown’s playing days are over after quitting Aberdeen, Rodgers is left with an inevitable wonder of what could have been.

He said: “He showed time after time in the Champions League that he had the talent. But then you add in his ability