Rodgers praise for Griffiths
Britain Football Soccer - Rangers v Celtic - Scottish Premiership - Ibrox Stadium - 31/12/16 Celtic's Leigh Griffiths celebrates at the end of the match Reuters / Russell Cheyne Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Brendan Rodgers has praised Leigh Griffiths for knuckling down and getting back into the Celtic squad.
Last month the hoops boss questioned the commitment of the striker after he missed games against Hearts and Aberdeen through a calf injury.
With Moussa Dembele injured for those fixtures Griffiths could have stood in for the Frenchman but missed out through injury.
Muscle strains have hampered the former Hibs striker all season with Rodgers issuing a public warning that Griffiths had to show more commitment to reach peak fitness levels.
???? BR on @Leighgriff09: “He’s back into the squad for the weekend which is great news. He’s worked very hard these last couple of weeks.”
— Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) February 23, 2017
Since Celtic’s winter break in Dubai Griffiths has only managed 15 minutes of action.
With Celtic’s schedule now reduced to one game a week there is less need for Rodgers to rotate his squad.
Since returning to fitness Dembele has scored seven goals in two and a half matches to cement his place in Rodgers first XI.
During December there was a credible argument that Griffiths deserved to be the first pick striker but since Dembele’s awesome display at Ibrox on December 31 that argument has been redundant.