Brendan Rodgers has dismissed social media claims that Leigh Griffiths has gone AWOL.
The striker hasn’t been at Lennoxtown all week and won’t be part of Celtic’s squad for Sunday’s Betfred Cup semi-final against Hearts.
Griffiths has been in the spotlight since pulling out of Scotland’s international defeats to Israel and Portugal.
Odsonne Edouard is Celtic’s only other striker but due to illness Rodgers won’t be rushing Griffiths back into action.
“It’s all social media, he hasn’t been well,” the Celtic boss explained to The Sun.
“He didn’t go away with the international team, then he got injured and then he has been ill for a number of days now.
“I spoke to Leigh when we trained at Murrayfield to check in on how he was. He’s been ill so he’s been kept away from the squad.”
Rodgers is hopeful that Tom Rogic will be fit to face Hearts on Sunday but will be without Scott Brown and the suspended Dedryck Boyata.
Cristian Gamboa and Jozo Simunovic can also be added to the crocked list with both defenders going for scans today to assess the extent of the injuries that they picked up at RB Leipzig.