Rangers midfielder Greg Docherty has been touted for international honours.
Rangers manager Graeme Murty has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks midfielder Greg Docherty should be aiming to replace Scott Brown in the Scotland national team.
Brown, 32, has been a mainstay with Celtic having racked up more than 450 appearances for the club, and his displays with the Bhoys have handed him a lengthy career with Scotland too.
Brown has notched more than 50 caps for Scotland, but has now called time on his career with his country for a second time, having previously retired in August 2016 before reversing that decision just two months later.
Now, Brown does seem to be retiring from international football for good this time, and new Scotland boss Alex McLeish must now figure out who will replace Brown in his midfield.
The likes of John McGinn and Ryan Jack have been touted for the role, but one emerging name in the frame is new Rangers signing Greg Docherty following his January move from Hamilton Academical.
Docherty, 21, enjoyed a fine first half of the season with Hamilton before joining boyhood club Rangers in January, and he starred in the Gers’ 2-0 home win over Hearts on Saturday afternoon.
Now, Rangers boss Graeme Murty has told The Scottish Sun that he thinks Brown’s international retirement is ‘great news’ for Celtic, noting that he has been a really good servant for his country.
Murty added that Docherty should now be looking to make himself Brown’s replacement, and believes Docherty wants to fill that role too as an ambitious young player looking to make strides in his career – but taking on such a huge role would be a major jump for the youngster right now.
“He has been a really good servant to Scotland. He’s taken fantastic care of his body and I think you see the impact he has on his team,” said Murty. “It’s great news for Celtic, but sad for the Scottish team. I think the last time he went back it was probably for Gordon Strachan, to help someone he was close to. But going forward, he maybe wants to prolong his career at club level and with the amount of games we have, taking away international football is a sensible decision.”
“But Greg should be looking towards that level, absolutely. Historically, Rangers central midfield players have played for Scotland. That’s the level he needs to be looking at and aspiring to be at. Since he has been here I haven’t seen anything in the young man’s attitude or ability to think anything different. It’s something he should be aiming for and, knowing Greg, he will be hungry to get as far as he can,” he added.
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