Celtic captain Scott Brown has announced his retirement from international football.

Brown played 55 times for Scotland in competitive games, but he is now going to focus on his club career.

Brown is now 32, and he had a conversation with Scotland manager Alex McLeish about giving up his position with the national team.

"I have spoken to Alex McLeish over the weekend. I really wanted to tell Alex first what I was thinking about things," he told Celtic's official website.

"As I said to Alex, I felt that, given the demands which are increasing all the time in football and at this stage of my career, I wasn't able to give both my club and country my best and I needed to focus purely on Celtic at this time.

"The football calendar is more and more demanding now, and in terms of looking after my own body and in interests of my family, I felt now is the right time to take this decision.

"I have really enjoyed my time with Scotland and making over 50 caps is something which I will always be really proud of. It was a huge honour to pull on the Scotland jersey every time I was given the opportunity and to be able to captain my country is a privilege I will always cherish."