Former Celtic captain Scott Brown has detailed why he decided to reject St Johnstone and sign a contract extension with Ayr United. 

Brown and his assistant, Steven Whittaker, have opted to concentrate on their mission to propel Ayr United's Scottish Championship promotion ambitions despite the Celtic hero being strongly linked with a Premiership role and even holding talks with Saints owner Adam Webb earlier this week.

The respected pair signed a one-year extension to their contract on Thursday night, providing a significant boost to Ayr ahead of their upcoming league match against Greenock Morton.

The legendary Hoops skipper spoke to Ayr United TV on Friday and discussed why he wants to continue enjoying management on the West Coast.

"It's been a difficult week for everyone and there are always going to be rumours floating around - it's part and parcel of football when you are doing well," he said.

"It was brilliant of the chairman and the board to offer myself and Steven a new deal, so they are stuck with us for another year.

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"It gives us that extra bit of faith in terms of the chairman, the fans and ourselves in terms of how we've been bonding.

"We're in a good place at this moment in time. That's due to the chairman but also myself and Steven coming in and how well the lads have worked on behalf of what we've wanted. We're a young squad and there will be ups and downs but I've really enjoyed my time here.

"Everything is in a positive place and we need to try every day to make sure each individual player gets better with every day. We work very hard on every player knowing their job."

(Image: SNS Group) Ayr United chairman David Smith told the Ayrshire Post that the fact the well-respected former Scotland international's have chose to remain at Somerset Park is a testament to the strong foundations that have been built in recent times. 

"Both Scott and Steven have oozed class since the day they walked through the door and have been brilliant guys to deal with," he said. 

"So it was a no-brainer to get this done and keep pushing on together. A Premiership club showing interest in our manager is flattering - but it's also huge validation of what we have here that Scott should choose to stay.

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"He clearly enjoys the working environment and the people. Everyone here is pulling in the same direction and we're a club on the up.

"Scott and Steven are a fantastic, hard working, professional team and I'm looking forward to seeing where they can take us."