Brown seals new deal

Celtic captain Scott Brown has signed an extended contract until the summer of 2015.

The midfielder, who recently returned from injury, said he can now concentrate on bringing success to Parkhead.

"I am absolutely delighted to sign this new contract with Celtic and commit my future to the club," he said.

The news will bring to an end speculation over Brown's future following lengthy negotiations over the contract.

The Scotland midfielder, who joined Celtic in a £4.4million deal from Hibernian in 2007, had agreed terms several months ago but an impasse over a fee for his agent prompted the possibility of him leaving the club for nothing at the end of the season, with Newcastle among the clubs reportedly interested.

But Brown declared himself relieved that the situation had been resolved, with the club having the option of a further year when his contract expires.

The 26-year-old, who returned from the third ankle operation of his Celtic career in the 1-0 Europa League defeat by Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, told the club's official website: "I'm pleased that this is now all sorted and now I just want to get on with the job in hand.

"I'm happy to be back from injury and I now want to just concentrate on the challenges which face us this season domestically and in Europe as we try to bring our fans some success.

"I would like to thank our supporters for the great backing they have given the club during the course of the season already.

"As always, they have been magnificent and I know the manager and all the players are totally focused on doing everything we can to achieve as much as we possibly can this season for our fans."