Brown eyes start

Scott Brown looks set to make his first start for Scotland after an eye-catching substitute performance in the 2-1 win against Georgia at Hampden Park on Saturday.

The 21-year-old played impressively and is sure to have caught the eye of boss Alex McLeish who will find it hard to leave him out against World Cup Champions Italy on Wednesday.

But Brown, who has been compared to the likes of Rino Gattuso, remains modest and insists he still wants to improve on his 35-minute cameo against Georgia.

"You can never really do enough in 35 minutes," Brown told the Daily Record. "I did not too bad when I came on but you can always do better.

"People have said I helped to change the game but I don't think so," he added. "All the lads did there job."

Questioned about his stamina to last a full 90 minutes at international level, he said: "Am I ready to play 90 minutes? That's not a question for me to answer."

Despite his modesty, Brown is adamant he is willing to take on any challenge and that the pressure of the international spotlight doesn't bother him.

"I just go out and play my normal game," said Brown. "I try to get into the face of the people we are playing against and cause them a few problems.

"But that doesn't mean I don't respect the Italians, of course I do. They have been there, done it and won the World Cup. I'm just learning my trade.

"It would be a delight to get the nod," he added. "But to be honest I'm happy just being a part of things just now."