Celtic assistant Chris Davies has confirmed that striker Leigh Griffiths has been working overtime in training to try and overcome the injury worries which he has been struck down by and hand Brendan Rodgers a first team boost after the international break.
The Scottish striker was forced to pull out of Alex McLeish’s squad for the Nations’ Cup clash against Israel and the friendly versus Portugal due to his fitness, leaving the Hoops sweating over whether he would be fit and firing after the two week gap.
However, Davies has revealed that Griffiths has been doing everything he can to try and come back on the other side of the break between fixtures without any worries.
Speaking to the Celtic View (as quoted by the Daily Record), he said: “He’s looking to do extra training and is pushing as hard as he can to get as fit as he possibly can.
“That can only be a positive for Celtic and Griff himself so we’ll support him to do that. Hopefully he can have a good strong week and be in good condition leading into the Hibs game.”
Opinion
It seems counter-productive that Griffiths should be doing extra training sessions to overcome an injury blow, so perhaps it is more a case of his fitness levels which have left him unable to take part for Scotland. That really should not be the case now, with the season well and truly underway and the striker playing a regular role in the starting XI for Rodgers, and questions have to be asked over whether he really is doing all he can to hit and remain in tip top shape. There have been doubts over his fitness levels before and Celtic will not want a repeat of that, so hearing he is dedicating himself to extra training to ensure that he is ready to come back for the Hoops sooner rather than later will be music to their ears. He has a vital role to play in the team and missing him would be a massive blow as they push for success on multiple fronts.