Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has praised the work done by Leigh Griffiths over the past six months. The Celtic striker has been out action since December with widely reported personal issues.
Griffiths hasn’t played a single minute for the club in 2019 but is expected to be back in first-team plans for our next competitive match. The Scotland forward is back in full training and has already made an impression according to Kennedy.
He told the official Celtic website: “Leigh has taken part in all the sessions and has been working through the summer as well. The thing with Leigh is that it’s important that he gets on the pitch now. He’s had a tough time and a rough ride.
“Now, he’s got his base fitness up towards the end of the season, he’s worked hard over the summer, and hopefully we can manage him through the pre-season and get him fit and back on the pitch again.
“Leigh has been out for so long, and to be fair to him he’s worked so hard over the last three days. He’s done every minute in every session, which is a very positive start and we’ve just got to take it from there.”
Fighting fit
Celtic fans will be encouraged to hear that Griffiths has made a good start to pre-season. The 28-year-old must be itching to get back out on the pitch and that hunger can only be a good thing for both the player and the club.
Pre-season is absolutely crucial for Griffiths this year and it is refreshing to see that he knows that too. The forward will be like a new signing for Celtic and that is probably how he’ll be judged by fans.
Supporters will give him time to get up to speed but will then expect results sooner rather than later. Neil Lennon is also familiar with the player and we can only hope that relationship comes to the fore this season.
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