Celtic star already back at work just 9 days after trophy lift

By David Walton

May 24, 2022

Celtic star Giorgos Giakoumakis is already back at work just 9 days after the trophy lift as he was snapped taking part in Greece’s first training session.

The international camps are set to kick in with a host of Celtic players involved with their countries. The likes of Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, and David Turnbull are all involved with Scotland. Josip Juranovic, Carl Starfelt, and Cameron Carter-Vickers are also away with Croatia, Sweden, and the USA respectively.

But it looks as though the earliest to get himself right back to work is Giakoumakis. Greek outlet Gazzetta have pictured him at a training session with the Greece national team as early as yesterday.

Giakoumakis was one of only 8 players to arrive at camp this early. Their first fixture isn’t until June 2nd against Northern Ireland, as he shows an eagerness to make an impression under Gus Poyet.

Scotland also kick-started their camp with a training session yesterday, but it’s unclear from the details on social media whether any Celtic players were involved this soon.

The international action ramps up next week with many Celtic players involved in Nations League games. The Scotland contingent, however, will first focus on their World Cup qualifying playoff campaign.

Giorgos Giakoumakis eyeing up Greece impact 9 days after Celtic trophy lift

The domestic season may be over, but there’s still work to be done for the likes of Giakoumakis. With Greece’s World Cup qualification campaign over, their attentions now turn to the rebuild under Poyet.

Giakoumakis will eye up being a big part of that over the next couple of years. Their target will simply be qualification for Euro 2024 in Germany.

Giakoumakis didn’t have much of a role in the qualification run for Qatar 2022 unfortunately. He was given cameo outings in their first 2 qualifiers against Spain and Georgia respectively. After that, he was ousted from the squad as he struggled to make an impact in the first half of the season.

Things are different now, however. Fresh off the Celtic trophy lift – Giakoumakis is high in confidence. He bagged a brace against Motherwell on the final day to end the season as the joint-top scorer in the Premiership. In addition to that, he has UCL football to look forward to.

He couldn’t be in a better place heading into these crucial fixtures for Greece over the coming weeks. There’s a genuine opportunity here for Giorgos to stake his claim as the nation’s number one striker. He’ll certainly get the minutes under Poyet during this camp, it’s all about whether he can strike.

His work ethic is there for all to see in any case. As one of only 8 Greek players to arrive at training from day 1, he clearly has a strong appetite to impress.

In other news, Steve Clarke comments set up long-overdue opening for Celtic defender