National team captain Scott Brown has announced his retirement from international football in order to prolong his Celtic career.

The 31-year-old said it was the toughest decision of his career but that he would not lead the team into the upcoming World Cup qualification campaign.

Brown said recent injuries had played a part in his decision to step aside ahead of the forthcoming World Cup qualification campaign.

"Firstly, I would like to thank Gordon for giving me the honour of not only playing for my country but captaining Scotland in the last campaign," he said. "I also owe a debt to every Scotland manager before him who selected me - right back to Walter Smith handing me my senior debut, and the national youth coaches along the way," he said.

"Gordon has been one of the most influential people in my career and I did not want to let him or my country down but over the summer I had a lot of thinking to do. It's no secret that I've suffered some injuries in my career and once you get over 30 you have to protect your body more, in any case.

"I'm not the type of player who can coast half-heartedly through a game - I give 100% every time. Given the importance of this campaign for Scotland, and the challenges ahead at Celtic, I simply felt that I could not keep up both commitments without either my performances or recovery time suffering.

"Gordon understands this completely and I would hope the Scotland supporters understand my position, too."

National team manager Strachan paid tribute to Brown's efforts for in a Scotland jersey, saying: ""Scott is one of the most wholehearted players I've encountered and somebody who puts the team ahead of himself.

"He is not the type to play within himself, either, and I understand and respect the decision he has taken.

"I have huge admiration for a player as selfless as he has been: to sacrifice family time and recovery time to help his country.

"We will miss Scott as a player, no doubt about it, but football evolves and it provides an opportunity for others to step-up take that responsibility. We'll miss him as a person, too, because his influence and popularity around the squad was integral to all that we did as a group."

Brown added that he had felt the impact of missing out on Euro 2016 but still had confidence that the same group of players could end a lengthy absence from major tournaments and reach Russia 2018.

"The personal disappointment of not reaching a major championship finals with my country was heightened this summer but we have a great squad of players and I am certain that we can really make a go of this campaign and qualify for Russia," he said.

"I genuinely think we showed in the last campaign that we are good enough to compete with Germany, the world champions, and other nations who qualified ahead of us. I would like to thank the fans who travel across Europe to back us, my team-mates and the backroom staff for their support and look forward to seeing them soon."

Brown has made 50 appearances for national team since making his debut for the senior side in a friendly match against the United States in November 2005.

The midfielder was handed his competitive debut for Scotland in a 2008 European Championship qualifier against Georgia, with Brown cementing a place in the starting lineup under Walter Smith and subsequently Alex McLeish.

He found the net four times (against Macedonia, Czech Republic, Norway and Poland) over the course of his international career, becoming one of a select few to reach the milestone of 50 caps for Scotland.

The 31-year-old became one of the defining figures of Scottish football over the past decade, named captain of the national team in light of Darren Fletcher's break from the game through illness.

Gordon Strachan handed Brown the captaincy on a permanent basis in his first game in charge of Scotland, with the midfielder holding it ever since. Now the national team must find a new leader.