Some Celtic fans feel that the club does not need 29-year-old striker Leigh Griffiths back playing regularly for the first-team.
The Scotsman has already scored twice this season for the Hoops, having played three games in the Premiership. He has also registered one assist this season. But only one of the three games has been a start.
Griffiths, who is valued at £1.8 million (Transfermarkt), has not played for the club since appearing in the game against Hearts at home. He suffered a hamstring injury after that game and is yet to come back to the first-team since then.
But some Celtic fans are sure that they do not want the Scotland international back playing for their club.
New striker in January? we couldn’t get better than the return of @Leighgriff09 The feeling of seeing him back in the squad is already giving me goosebumps Leigh it’s time to shine, let’s go get #9 #CelticFC pic.twitter.com/pG3zbRqEgI
— Celtic Now And Forever (@celtic_now) November 11, 2019
Griffiths would be great but I feel his time is up as far as any type of consistency is concerned. Injury prone, mental issues, desire to be in peak condition. He’s been working on his condition all season. Think he’s done. Hope I’m wrong
— cheapey-Bolingi (@davidcheape) November 11, 2019
We 100% could do better… Just a fit striker would be a marked improvement.
— Keith Robertson (@Krobertson5808) November 12, 2019
Really? Totally disagree. New striker needed.
— David (@David201130) November 11, 2019
We need a new Striker 100%.
— AJ (@Joker___87) November 11, 2019
Immobile break the bank
— (@winniewynn) November 12, 2019
How long till he is out again? He has done us well but he feels a bit of a liability atm.
— Dox (@adam4indy) November 12, 2019
Griffiths joined Celtic in the winter of 2014 from Wolves for a fee of £1million. Since joining the Glaswegian club, Griffiths has played as many as 211 times in all competitions for the Hoops. During this time, he has scored 107 times and has bagged as many as 46 assists.
Last season, he played 11 times in the Premiership under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers. He scored twice and got one assist. But in December 2018, the striker had asked for a special leave to deal with some mental health issues that he had to rectify.
His last full season for the club came in the 2017-18 campaign when he played 22 league games. He found the back of the net as many as nine times that season.
What do we think
Over the last two seasons, Griffiths has shown that even if he doesn’t play regularly, he can still get some goals for Celtic. Indeed, with the Scottish Premiership table very tight with both Celtic and Rangers tied at the top, Griffiths’ goals can prove to be vital when the season wears on.
But it is a case of the striker being mentally and physically fit before Neil Lennon, perhaps, has the opportunity to include him.