Scott Brown and Brendan Rodgers put mentorship to one side as Ayr and Celtic face off just weeks after Mallorca catch up

To his credit Scott Brown has never tried to hide it.

On the contrary, two years ago, on his very first day in management at Fleetwood Town he promised to bombard old boss Brendan Rodgers for tips and advice on how best to make the transition from the pitch to the dugout. And he’s been as good as his word ever since. This mentoring continued just a couple of weeks ago when the pair caught up over a cold beer near Rodgers’ holiday home in Mallorca. But it will have to be placed on hold for 90 minutes tonight when Brown’s Ayr host his former club at a spruced-up Somerset Park.

Scotland’s champions will get the pre-season schedule for their latest title defence up and running against United and Brown will be given the chance to showcase how much he’s taken on board since their days together at Parkhead. “It will feel strange,” Brown nodded when it was put to him that they won’t have been involved in a game together since the 39-year-old was Celtic’s shaven-headed skipper.

He went on: “My body couldn’t take playing football any more, hence the reason I’m trying to pursue the manager route. But it’ll be good because I’ve taken a lot from Brendan, I have learned a lot from him. I also have my own ways and means of doing things and my assistant Steven Whittaker is the same.

“He has also stolen a lot from managers he has learned from and we put that into practice in training and also in games as well. Are we going to get it all right? No chance.

“But we have to be big enough and ugly enough to admit your mistakes. I ask Brendan for his advice all the time. I have no shame over that whatsoever. I want to try to take in as much information as I possibly can.

“When he came to Celtic I learned a lot about myself as a player and when