Charlie Mulgrew said it was an ‘absolute honour’ to captain Scotland, despite it coming in a 3-0 defeat in Belgium.

Mulgrew took over the armband after Liverpool full back, and regular skipper, Andy Robertson didn’t feature because of injury.

The Rovers defender was part of a much-changed backline who held out until moments before half-time when Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring. The Manchester United man added a second 11 minutes after the re-start before Kevin De Bruyne wrapped things up in stoppage time.

Mulgrew had previously captained Scotland until Robertson took over the armband in the September qualifiers.

But new boss Steve Clarke gave Mulgrew the chance to lead the side in the Euro 2020 qualifier in Brussels as Scotland attempted to cause a huge upset after Saturday’s last-gasp win over Cyprus.

The Red Devils however, proved too strong and top Group I with four wins out of four. Scotland sit fourth, with two wins and two defeats to their name.

Mulgrew finished the season on the sidelines at Rovers after losing his place to Derrick Williams. But the 33-year-old, who has two years left on his contract, remains a key part of Tony Mowbray’s plans moving forward.

He is expected to be given an extended break because of his international commitments, which would see him miss the week-long fitness camp in Austria.

The same is likely for midfielder Corry Evans who win his 53rd Northern Ireland cap in their win in Belarus, restored to the side after missing the game in Estonia.

Lancashire Telegraph: