Celtic boss Neil Lennon revealed to the Hoops Twitter account on Friday that Leigh Griffiths is set to be involved against Livingston on Saturday. That will be the striker’s first game for the Hoops since August.
That is good news for the Hoops as in the past, Griffiths has been a prolific goalscorer for Celtic. One man who has had his say on the return of Griffiths is former Hoops striker Chris Sutton. He fears that it may take time for Griffiths to get back up to speed, after being out of action for so long.
“If you’re asking me at this moment if I think he can get back to the highest level, then I’d say he’s got it all to do” Sutton said, writing in his column in the Daily Record.
“Going to find it hard”
“Players who have had large periods out of the game have shown it’s hard to work your way back to the top and if I’m totally honest Griffiths is going to find it hard. I know he scored during that little spell at the start of the season, but he has been out for such a long period of time and it’s difficult” he concluded.
It is understandable that Sutton is concerned about Griffiths being out of action for so long. It should also be remembered that the player missed the second-half of last season due to off-field issues. Therefore, he has not played a lot of football in the past year.
Player will be eager to prove he still has what it takes
However, Griffiths will be out to prove that he still has what it takes to be a key player for the Hoops going forward.
He can take the first steps towards that should he feature at some stage of the match against Livingston. It will be a long process for Griffiths. Neil Lennon won’t be expecting miracles form the player. As Chris Sutton says, the player might find it hard at first.
Griffiths has proved the doubters wrong in the past before though. If he can do it again, it would be a huge boost for Celtic. He could be vital as the Hoops aim to win their ninth title in a row.
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