Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths has been given another boost to add to his comeback goal at the weekend, with Scotland coach Steven Reid claiming he could play a part for his country.
Griffiths was overlooked for Scotland’s massive triple-header against Israel, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic respectively. Instead, the likes of Lyndon Dykes, Oli McBurnie, and Laurence Shankland were again all selected.
That came after Griff failed to make a single appearance for Celtic during the first couple of months of the campaign due to a calf knock. However, after coming on against St Johnstone and bagging a vital late strike on Sunday, Michael Stewart posed the question of whether he should go right into the Scotland squad.
That’s led to Scotland assistant boss Reid providing some motivation for the Hoops man, as he stated that consistency will see him come right back into contention.
As quoted by the Herald, Reid said: “It’s just about consistency. It’s about playing games week in, week out. He’s found himself in a lot of the time, then out, then back in again.
“We all know the talent he has – finishing, the ability to get himself into positions where he is going to score goals. That is always something we’re going to need. It’s just about that fitness and consistency for Celtic, but he’s a player that absolutely could play a part.”
It shouldn’t take much for Steve Clarke to bring him back
Griffiths hasn’t played for his country since a 2018 Nations League game against Albania at Hampden. Indeed, in just three days it will be exactly two years to the day since the Celtic man last ran out in dark blue.
What that also means is that he’s never been called up by current boss Steve Clarke, with Griffiths having plenty on his plate over the last couple of campaigns.
However, Scotland have continued to have problems in the final third under Clarke just as they did under former boss Alex McLeish. Neither McBurnie, Shankland, or Dykes have managed to produce the form at club level that suggests they can make the Scotland jersey their own.
For now, Australian-born Dykes is Clarke’s favourite new toy after a goal against the Czech Republic (most likely their D side) in the last international double-header. But a fully-fit and firing Leigh Griffiths is a much bigger asset than any of the strikers previously mentioned.
And now he has plenty of motivation. A solid run of games and he’ll be back in the fold – that must be something that turns the striker on. Managing to create more moments like his famous brace against England on the international stage must be something that pushes him to the limit.
That only bodes well for Celtic too, with a mouth-watering clash against Rangers next up.
In other news, a Sky Sports journalist has provided a reason for optimism for Celtic’s pursuit of Mark McKenzie.
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