Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has told The Scottish Sun that he is surprised that Scott Brown will leave Celtic at the end of the season.
Gerrard, who has been in charge of Rangers since the summer of 2018, has praised Celtic midfielder Brown, and has said that the Scotsman will be missed in Old Firm derbies after this season.
As reported by The Guardian last month, the 35-year-old midfielder will leave Celtic at the end of the season and will join Aberdeen in a player-coach role.
Brown has been on the books of Celtic since the summer of 2007 when he joined from Hibernian for a transfer fee reported by The Guardian to be worth £4.4 million.
Gerrard told The Scottish Sun: “It is what it is, he’s made his decision. I was surprised by his decision to move to Aberdeen from a personal point of view — but that’s not important to anyone.”
The Liverpool legend added: “He’s someone I have got respect for, from a football point of view and for what he has achieved, to be that successful and how he has gone about things.
“If I take my Rangers hat off it’s something I respect very much because I know how hard it is to win. I think the fixture will miss him.”
Big miss for Celtic
Brown has not been at his best for Celtic this season, like many of his teammates, but there is no doubt that he is a club legend.
The 35-year-old has won the Scottish Premiership title 10 times and the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup on six occasions each.
Brown is not the player he was a few years ago, but Celtic will miss his leadership once he has left.
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