Celtic's Scott Brown should be up for PFA Scotland award, says Brendan Rodgers

Scott Brown has captained Celtic to another league title

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers cannot believe Scott Brown is absent from the nomination list for the PFA Scotland player of the year award.

Three team-mates have made the shortlist - Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair - along with Aberdeen winger Johnny Hayes.

But Rodgers feels his captain should not have been overlooked.

"I still can't get away from how Scott Brown's not on it. I really can't," he said of the Scotland midfielder.

"I don't know what he was like in other years, but for this season, in my first season up here in Scotland, the level that this man has played at, he's the most influential player in Scottish football.

"I look at Chelsea's N'Golo Kante down south as a central midfield player and I think he got the player of the year award down there - and I think that Scott is certainly at least worthy of being a nominee."

Rodgers, though, would not reveal whether 31-year-old Brown would have been his choice for player of the year.

He also declined to nominate which of the three Celtic players on the list deserved to win.

However, he praised the consistency and leadership shown by Brown throughout the campaign.

"I can only remember him having one bad game and that was Hearts when we won the league - and I think he said it himself he was hopeless," added the Rodgers.

"Every other game has been at a top level and this is Champions League, this is big games.

"The players here will tell you the catalyst he is for them, what he gives the team. He has been superb.

"I can't believe why he isn't in it, but of course, I'm really happy for the other boys and the young players that are nominated as well."

'No place for racism in society or football'

A Rangers fan admitted making racial gestures at Celtic's Scott Sinclair

At Ibrox on Sunday, Sinclair was subjected to racial gestures from a Rangers fan, who has since admitted the offence in court, and Rodgers said the English winger had put the incident behind him.

"Racism - whether it is football or whether it is society - there is no place for it," added Rodgers.

"He's fine. He's got the support of all the people here, all the supporters and he moves on from it.

"He's been playing the game quite a long time, so it says something that it's the first time he has come across it in his life.

"There's been so much great work over the last 20 years to wipe out this kind of thing.

"In this day and age, when you do hear about it, it's very, very surprising, so thankfully it's been dealt with straight away, which is good to see, and we hope we don't have any more incidents like it for players like Scotty and whoever else."