Allan Russell has worked with England’s elite but reckons when it comes to professionalism Scott Brown is the best he’s come across.
Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass admitted his assistant manager made the claim before their skipper played a starring role in the 1-1 draw with Rangers on Tuesday night.
Russell was England striking coach and put the likes of Harry Kane and co through their paces but feels Brown and his desire to be the best he can be puts him in a league of his own.
Brown came to the fore as his know-how helped get the Dons a point as he helped to rile Rangers, with Ryan Kent sent off for a soft challenge on him.
Glass said: “I don’t want to isolate it just to Rangers (games). Scott’s attitude every week is first class. How he drives the group is brilliant.
“He is an unbelievable professional. I was talking to Allan (Russell) about him the other day. Allan – who has worked with the England team – said he is probably the best he has seen which is incredible at 36.
“I keep telling him he is younger to keep him playing longer. He relishes those games but he relishes every week and that is why he is the pro he is.”
Brown lifted the Scottish Cup six times during his time at Celtic.
He embarks on his first Cup adventure with Aberdeen on Saturday when Edinburgh City travel to Pittodrie for the first time.
Glass will be looking for his team to make an impression in a tournament they haven’t won since 1990.
And the Aberdeen boss wants his men to approach the game like they did against Rangers.
He said: “I said to the players it shouldn’t be a different level of focus. Their performance level on Tuesday, they need to create that again in their head every single week from there until the end of the season.
“You win five games and you win the Scottish Cup. We have just played against Rangers who are a very good team and they couldn’t beat us at Pittodrie. We looked like the better and more dominant team. If we can continue that then who knows.
“We believe we can beat anybody and that is important. We were sitting a goal down at half-time against the champions and there wasn’t any fear there.”
Glass is in no doubt he and his team have got over their early-season blip and are now playing the way he had planned.
He said: “The boys looked after themselves over the break. They are a group of professionals who work hard and they got their reward on Tuesday but they are still hugely frustrated that they didn’t win the match, which says a lot about them.
“It is important we keep building because that is the most important thing from here.
“You are asking players to do things but there is also a bravery attached to it as well.
“It is easy to go into your shell in a game like Rangers but it is all down to the players taking it and running with it.
“They have had a blip early on in the campaign, we have all had a little blip but we have come through the other side and it is important we keep building going forward.”
