Former Celtic attacker Kris Commons has revealed he has heard that Leigh Griffiths is closing in on a return to action after talks with Neil Lennon.
The Hoops forward has been missing from the first team setup at Parkhead after being allowed to take special leave to deal with off-field issues, during which time Brendan Rodgers has been replaced by fellow Northern Irishman Lennon.
Having worked together before, Commons says that the word on the grapevine is that the new boss has been in crunch talks with the striker and that he is not far off coming back for the Bhoys.
He wrote in his Daily Mail column, as quoted by the Scottish Sun: “Don’t be surprised if Leigh Griffiths fights his way back and plays a key part in Celtic’s run-in towards the end of the season.
“It’s my understanding that Griffiths is close to making his return following some off-field personal difficulties. From what I’m hearing, Lennon has spoken more to Griffiths over the past week than Brendan Rodgers did during the past two months.
“Having an experienced goalscorer like Griffiths available can only boost their chances of landing another Treble when the dust settles on a remarkable season.”
Opinion
While Celtic fans will not have completely forgotten about Griffiths – he is a firm favourite at Parkhead after all – the arrival of Oliver Burke, Timothy Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo have certainly lessened the impact of his continued absence from the squad. Lennon is obviously someone who knows the striker well and will be hoping to have him back in action sooner rather than later – which is why it was imperative to make contact with him as soon as he was handed the manager’s position. Whether there was something wrong between Rodgers and Griffiths, only those pair will know, but having a boss that he trusts and can confide in should go a long way to getting the hitman back out on the pitch where he belongs. Whether he can take back his first team spot from the likes of Odsonne Edouard and the other forwards currently leading the line remains to be seen, but if nothing else the competition will do the club the world of good.