Neil Lennon has made a decision on Leigh Griffiths’ future after it was thrown into doubt after he was left out of Celtic’s pre-season squad.
It is undeniable that Leigh Griffiths worked very hard to make his way back into Neil Lennon’s plans last season after it had appeared that his time at Parkhead had finally run out after the big money arrival of Patryk Klimala in January.
The move appeared to light a fire under Griffiths though as he improved significantly following the winter break and started to resemble the player who was once the best player in the country and had even scored an incredible 40 goals in a single season for Celtic back in 2015-16. Issues both on and off the pitch had left him a mere shell of that player though.
In fact, he even scored a hat-trick in Celtic’s last game before football was shutdown due to the global pandemic and looked very much a starter again. That was until he appeared to through it all away again as he is struggling with fitness issues following the players’ return after the lockdown and has been left out of the squad travelling to France to take on Paris Saint-Germain, Olympique Lyonnais and Nice in three glamour pre-season ties.
As a result, Griffiths’ Parkhead future has been thrown into doubt again with fans questioning his motivation and how Lennon is going to take this latest debacle.
As expected, Kris Commons decided to shed a negative light on the events as reported by the Scottish Daily Mail (print edition, 13/07, supplement page 16):
"“He’s always been very laid back when it comes to training. He’s not a Callum McGregor-type figure, who is first in the building every morning and the last to leave.“Griffiths is a maverick. But the reality is that he’s playing a very dangerous game because he’s now needlessly thrown his future at the club into doubt.“Given the enormity of the season ahead and the chance to clinch the Holy Grail of ten in a row, it feels like he is blowing the opportunity of a lifetime.”"
It is very possible though there is as much tension behind the scenes as much as the media are making of it. As reported by The Scottish Sun, Neil Lennon has had a heart-to-heart conversation with Griffiths. According to the report, the striker remains very much part of his plans for next season and there is no immediate danger to his Celtic future.
Griffiths will have to take care of his fitness though because it does not take very long for things to change in football.