Neil Lennon updated the Celtic support on the status of long-term injury victim Leigh Griffiths during a press conference on Friday. The update he had for the fans was a positive one.
“Leigh’s now running outside, so we’ll be hoping he’ll join in the training next week” the Celtic boss said on a video on the club’s YouTube channel.
That might be a bit of a brief update. However, it does show that the player is on his way back to the first-team. Griffiths has not played for the Hoops since the 3-1 win over Hearts in August.
Hoops have had to rely on two players to score
Griffiths’ absence, alongside the indifferent form of Vakoun Issouf Bayo, has meant that the Hoops have had to rely on Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie for their majority of goals this season.
The duo are in excellent form. However, there is no guarantee that they will stay fit, or keep up their current level of form for the entire season.
That is why it is important that Griffiths returns to the Hoops first-team sooner rather than later. It may still be a few weeks before the player is up to speed and fully fit once more. But Celtic need more goalscorers available. This season Griffiths has proved that when he plays he still knows how to find the back of the net.
Has shown he still knows how to find the back of the net
He has made eight appearances for the Hoops this season and has scored three goals. That is a more than decent return when you consider how much football he missed last season.
Celtic have a very busy schedule ahead between now and Christmas. It will be a test of the Hoops squad to deal with the number of games that need to be played.
Having Griffiths fit and ready to go for that schedule of matches would be a real bonus for the Hoops in the lead up to the January winter break.
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