Celtic captain Scott Brown has admitted watching his team-mates from afar while isolating last week was tough, but said he’s delighted the squad is back together and is ready to face Livingston tomorrow night (Wednesday) in the Scottish Premiership.

Having been held to a goalless draw against David Martindale’s men at Paradise on Saturday, the Hoops now travel to the Tony Macaroni Arena in search of maximum points against an in-form opponent.

“Isolation was hard, to be fair,” said Brown in a video conference call at Lennoxtown. “Seeing the lads playing and everyone not being able to help was hard.

'It’s what we had to do and we’re back in now, had a good couple of days training and getting ready for the game against Livi on Wednesday.'

The captain emphasised that winning all three of Celtic’s games in hand is of paramount importance in the title race, and said that despite the gap at the top of the table, the squad as a whole remains positive and full of belief.

To this end, Brown singled out Ismaila Soro for individual praise and acknowledged his own role in ensuring the young Ivorian continues to flourish in green and white.

He added: “Livi have been fantastic, they’ve had eight wins and then one draw against us. For us, we believe in ourselves, but we need to make sure we win every game now and it starts tomorrow.

“Soro’s been fantastic. He’s a great lad. I’ve been playing a lot of games, 60 games the last 14/15 seasons at this club and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Once he’s came in, he’s taken his chance.

'For me it’s about helping Soro as much as I can. He’s still young, he’s really keen.'

“I’m here for the gaffer whenever he needs me and for the lads. It’s not about me, it’s about this football club. It’s about putting the best team on the park, whether it’s Livi at home or Rangers away. We need to worry about that and not about me playing week in, week out.”

Captain: Isolation was hard but we’re ready for Livingston challenge