The Hearts manager was quick to criticise Brown following the Celtic player’s challenge on Harry Cochrane which left the 16-year-old injured.
Levein claimed that players need extra protection from Scott Brown from the referees due to the Celtic and Scotland skipper’s overly aggressive style of play.
Hearts’ 16-year-old wonder kid Harry Cochrane suffered an injury to his collar bone following a strong challenge from Brown in Celtic’s 3-1 victory over the Jambos earlier this week.
The youngster is likely to miss Hearts’ upcoming games, much to the frustration of Levein, who did not hold back on the criticism of his former national team captain, accusing him of targeting the teenager following the 4-0 humiliation at Tynecastle.
In response to Levein’s comments, Rodgers was quick to laugh them off, questioning the Hearts manager’s decision to play such a young boy in such a high profile affair.
According to The Sun, in defence of his captain Rodgers said: “There was nothing in the tackle. They competed in the air and the young guy [Cochrane] was unfortunate.
“You could argue: ‘should a 16-year-old be put into a game of that magnitude against the best team in Scotland?’
“The young player showed he could handle it in the game at Tynecastle.
“We had to be aggressive in the game, we had to have intensity but that is how we play every single game. Scott Brown goes into every single game to dominate. That is what I ask him to do.”
Levein’s comments seemed oddly personal towards a man who he used to select to lead the national team. Brown has always been a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, and, in the past, has been criticised for his number of yellow cards.
In Brown’s defence, however, the number of dismissals has decreased massively over the years since he has matured, and the Celtic skipper can take some consolation in the fact that many Scottish pundits have voiced their opinion that the tackle was perfectly legitimate.
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