season. Brown helped Celtic to the 2011 Scottish Cup Final, which Celtic won 3–0 against Motherwell. This allowed him to collect his first trophy as Celtic captain. Brown played 39 times for Celtic, scoring four goals, during the 2010–11 season. He was often used on the right of midfield, partly due to the form of other central midfielders such as Beram Kayal, Joe Ledley and Ki Sung-Yueng, but also because Brown is more able to play in wide areas than them. At the start of the 2011–12 season, Newcastle United were linked with a £6 million bid for Brown, as a replacement for their outgoing captain Kevin Nolan. Brown stated that he did not want to leave Celtic and that he felt privileged to be the captain. He also said that he wanted to sign a new contract as his current deal was to expire at the end of the season. Internazionale and Juventus were also reportedly looking to sign him on a free transfer if he did not sign a new contract. After protracted talks, Brown announced on 29 August that he was to sign a new contract in the next few weeks. Due to his SPL suspension incurred at the end of the 2010–11 season, Brown's first match of the new campaign was Scotland's 2–1 win over Denmark on 10 August. He suffered an ankle injury in this match, but played in the next five games for Celtic and the next international match. He missed Celtic's 4–0 win over Motherwell, on 10 September, due to the injury and then the 2–0 loss to Atlético Madrid five days later. He returned for the first Old Firm match of the season on 18 September 2011, but was substituted towards the end of the match after suffering a further recurrence of the injury. Neil Lennon said after the match that Brown had been one of Celtic's best players, as he had been involved in both of their goals during the 4–2 defeat. Celtic announced after the match that Brown would have to go and see a specialist and would be out of action for several months. Brown made his return on 30 November, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 loss against Atlético Madrid. The next day, he was able to talk with other clubs about signing a pre-contract agreement. However, Brown signed a new three-year deal on 3