Stephen McManus admits he cannot quite believe how far he has come over the last few years as he prepares to lead Scotland into Wednesday's friendly against Croatia.

McManus, 25, was thrilled when he replaced Neil Lennon as Celtic skipper last summer and says he will be just as honoured to perform the captain's duties at Hampden Park in the absence of the injured Barry Ferguson.

The defender battled his way through the youth ranks at Celtic and is finally earning his rewards for years of hard work.

"I'm pinching myself," he said.

"I've now played a lot of football in the last three years but I'm not one for talking things up, I'd never do that.

"Let's just say I've worked hard and it has gone all right so far. I've been fortunate that my career has gone in the right direction, but you can never get too ahead of yourself.

"I still look at myself as being the same guy I was five years ago when I wasn't getting a game.

"I go into work every day trying to make myself a better player, and every season I try to improve."

Speaking of those early years at Parkhead, McManus added: "I was in a really good reserve side at Celtic and the club at that time were a top, top side.

"We had guys like Henrik Larsson in the team, guys who were at the peak of their careers.

"At the time I just wanted to play. It wasn't about money or fame - it was about becoming the best player that you can be.

"I felt that maybe my future lay elsewhere, just so that I could play in someone's first team.

"But, thankfully, I stayed at Celtic and it has turned out not too bad.

"At the time I decided to talk to a few people who were a lot more knowledgeable than me, to people who had been there and done it.

"And the advice I got was to stick at it with Celtic because you never know what's round the corner."

McManus knows the captain's armband will be reclaimed by Ferguson again once fully fit but insists he will relish every minute of tonight's game.

"It will be the biggest honour of my career so far," he said.

"Obviously the first time I led out Celtic was a big honour, so the two [experiences] will go hand in hand.

"When you are a kid you only want to play for the club you supported, and follow that by playing even a minute for your country.

"So this is a tremendous honour and one no-one can ever take it away from me now.

"This is my first ever captaincy for Scotland, and it might be my last, you never know - but I'm going to enjoy it."

The visit of Croatia marks George Burley's first game as Scotland manager and McManus added: "It has been great so far with George.

"He is very hands-on, doing a lot of the coaching.

"We've only had a few days, so it is hard to get a real feel, but first impressions tend to stick, and the guys have been really impressed."

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