Leigh Griffiths is on course for his first appearance in six months.
The striker took a back seat in December as he was given time off to deal with personal problems, putting his career on hold and creating a striking problem for Celtic.
Towards the end of March he returned to Lennoxtown but it’s only been this week that he has joined his team-mates in training rather than working out in the gym.
The return of the striker to his previous form would be a massive boost for Neil Lennon with next week’s matches in Austria likely to provide the first indications of how ready he is to resume his career.
“Leigh has trained the last three days,” John Kennedy told The Sun. “We did a medical screen and a football session on Monday, a double session yesterday and a single session this morning.
“He’s trained every minute of every session so that’s a very positive start for Leigh. He’s had a tough time in the last six months or so, so this is an important time.
“He has worked hard. In the latter part of last season he was doing a lot of individual work, to get back that base that he had lost.
“Now it’s all about minutes on the pitch and being on the grass. Again, he has started very positively. There won’t be a timescale. We’ll manage it as we progress.
“If it’s right in the coming weeks that he is looking sharp enough to get on the pitch then we will certainly look to do that. A fully fit Leigh Griffiths is a big asset for us.”
Lennon signed Griffiths from Wolves in January 2014 but resigned as Celtic boss a couple of months later.
Although both had initial reservations Ronny Deila and Brendan Rodgers turned to the striker who scored his 100th Celtic goal last August.