Scotland captain Scott Brown has thanked manager Gordon Strachan for rescuing his career.
The Celtic midfielder, who has just skippered the Hoops to the domestic treble, retired from international football last August.
He had a rethink, though, just six weeks later and was in the Scots midfield when they lost 3-0 to England at Wembley in November.
Brown then retained his place in Strachan’s squad for March’s crucial 1-0 Group F win against Slovenia that kept the national team’s slim hopes of reaching next year’s World Cup in Russia alive.
The 31-year-old has been back to his very best for his club and will again be right in the thick of it for his country when the English come calling to Hampden on Saturday.
However, he admitted he would probably have been watching the match on TV had it not been for Strachan’s intervention last summer.
Brown said: “I am enjoying my football and, as soon as that happens, you might as well play as much as possible.
“Last year, I wasn’t fit and I wasn’t enjoying it.
“That’s what happens when you are struggling with injuries.
“I thought my playing career was coming to an end and it was one injury after another.
“That was a hard time for me.
“Gordon then came to my house at the end of last season and said: ‘How are you feeling?’
“I said: ‘My legs have gone, I’m struggling to chase people around and I’m not feeling myself.’
“He said: ‘I see that. Everyone sees that. How are you going to fix yourself? What are you going to do?
“Gordon then asked me: ‘Coaching? Put that to one side. Coach when you are 40. Go out there and prove everyone wrong.’
“I had to change a lot of things and try to get myself as fit as possible and then maintain that.
“For me to call it a day with Scotland might have been a bit premature but I got the six weeks off, I got the holidays and I came back feeling as fit as I ever have done.
“That makes me want to play as much as I can do and for as long as I can do.
“My fitness levels are through the roof from this time 12 months ago and I just want to maintain those levels.
“I want to maintain what I have been doing off the park as much as what I’ve been doing on the park and take it from there.”
Unsurprisingly, given their domination of the domestic game, Strachan is likely to include a large chunk of Celtic’s ‘invincibles’ in his starting line-up on Saturday.
While many of the English-based Scots players have not played for over a month, the Hoops have had little time to relax since defeating Aberdeen 2-1 in the Scottish Cup final on May 27.
Brown added: “Captain for Celtic’s treble and beat England for Scotland? That would be nice and a right good couple of weeks.
“I had five days off before meeting up the squad so that was about rest and recovery.
“The manager will have us doing double sessions going into the match but everyone has been looking after themselves, such as the English Championship lads who finished a bit earlier.
“It is better for us to be underdogs.
“When we go out with Scotland as favourites, we seem to disappoint.
“So here’s hoping we can produce something special, especially at Hampden.”
