Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed is set to welcome back striker Leigh Griffiths to the first team squad imminently with Moussa Dembele suffering a setback with his injury layoff.
The Hoops have been missing the 27-year-old Scottish hitman for the last couple of weeks thanks to a thigh strain, which has resulted in him watching on from the sidelines as attacking counterparts Dembele and Odsonne Edouard lead the line for the Champions League qualifiers.
However, the former of the pair has also been sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Rodgers has confirmed the blow is worse than first feared, ruling him out of the Premiership opener and both legs of the qualifying clash against AEK Athens.
He told the Scottish Sun: “The medical guys are telling me it is probably going to be another two to three weeks, a bit longer than we had anticipated. It’s a blow, but that is the way it is.
“Leigh will be back in the squad. He has been out for a while and needs to get his fitness up. We have kept him behind to work on that side. He will be in the squad for the weekend hopefully.”
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Rodgers can be thankful that Griffiths is set on making an imminent return to the squad, as having two strikers out would have left the Hoops teetering on the edge of catastrophe. Edouard is a quality forward but still requires some back up from the other options at Parkhead, and injury or suspension to him would have left the manager scratching his head over what to do. For now though, everything seems okay, and Griffiths will likely be given the chance to build up his fitness before staking a claim for a first team role once again. Of course, even at full fitness he will have to battle with his French counterpart to be part of the starting XI and considering Edouard’s recent form, the Scottish striker will likely have to settle for a backup role for now. Things can change in the blink of an eye of course, and he must make sure he is ready to step in if anything does happen.