Scott Brown has accused Hearts boss Craig Levein of making him a marked man in the eyes of the referees.

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Levein was unhappy with Brown’s robust style in the wake of his side’s 3-1 defeat at Celtic Park last Tuesday, a match which saw Harry Cochrane leave the field with a bruised collarbone following a challenge from the Celtic skipper.

The Tynecastle manager later quipped that “everyone should get a bit more protection from Scott Brown”, which caused a bit of controversy with Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers jumping in to defend his player.

Brown now believes Levein’s comments contributed to him receiving a yellow card for his first foul in Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday.

“He has done his job, hasn’t he?” said Brown about the Jambos head coach. “I was booked with my first foul [on Saturday] and I think that is exactly what Craig was looking to do.”

Scott Brown: Craig Levein's words made me a marked man