Celtic midfielder Scott Brown has refuted suggestions he lacks discipline in his play despite incurring another suspension this weekend.

Brown was booked for a 13th time this season after a foul on Gretna’s Ryan Baldacchino on Sunday and will now miss three SPL games next month - including a crucial Old Firm match at Parkhead.

New Scotland boss George Burley warned the 22-year-old to stop diving into challenges ahead of Wednesday night’s friendly international with Croatia at Hampden Park.

Brown, pleading over-exuberance in his mitigation, said: “I spoke to the manager about that and he said, ‘Stay on your feet more’.

“He said that I’ve got good enthusiasm but I shouldn’t lunge into the challenges as much. Sometimes I get caught up in the heat of the moment - everybody does - but the rules are probably stricter now and if you go to ground you have to get 100% of the ball.”

Brown claimed - tongue in cheek - that did not deserve any of the cautions he has amassed with Celtic.

He said: “I don’t think I merited any of the 13. I don’t go into challenges to hurt people, I go in to win the ball. If I don’t win the ball I put my hands up and say sorry. I knew right away when I received the card Sunday I would be suspended and I was disappointed. But I always play to win.”

But while the prospect of Saturday’s Old Firm clash at Ibrox on Saturday has threatened to overshadow Burley’s first game in charge of Scotland, Brown insists he is only concentrating on Croatia.

He said: “I think we’ve done quite well this season although we’ve not been the greatest in the league so far. We’re (effectively) six points behind Rangers but we’ll go and have a go and see how it goes. But I’m not really bothered about Saturday just now, I’m only bothered about Wednesday.”

Hibernian’s star striker Steven Fletcher hopes to celebrate his 21st birthday by making his Scotland debut.

But although Fletcher’s career has came on leaps and bounds this season, he insists he is in no hurry to follow the likes of Brown, Derek Riordan and Garry O’Connor out of the Easter Road exit door.

Fletcher played down reports that Real Madrid have named him as one of the 20 young players on their radar.

“It’s always nice to hear things like that but I think a club like Real look at a lot of young players,” he said.

“I’ve been getting quite a lot of stick from my team-mates and there are quite a few things said if I miss shots. I can always rely on the boys to bring me back down to earth. You don’t want to get too high, but people around me make sure I don’t get too carried away.”

He added: “I wouldn’t be unhappy if I have to see out the remaining five years of my contract because Hibs are a good club to be at with a great bunch of boys in the dressing room. If we had kept all the players that we had we would be a great team. Some great players left but that’s just football.”