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Lennon gets striker bonus from Romania

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Leigh Griffiths has played his way back into Neil Lennon’s first team plans.

The striker watched Sunday’s League Cup Final from the stand on Sunday but was thrown in from the start of last night’s Europa League tie away to Cluj.

It was a thankless task for most of the 90 minutes with Griffiths feeding off scraps with little in the way of Celtic’s usual build up play.

After four second half substitute appearances Griffiths played the full 90 minutes which will put him into the reckoning for the five SPFL matches before the winter break, starting on Sunday at home to Hibs, quickly followed by matches against Hearts and Aberdeen.

Speaking to the Daily Record Neil Lennon said:

I thought Griffiths did very well. I didn’t think we got enough decent service to him at times. We were a little bit overpassing it in the final third. When we did get a good ball in he managed to get a header in.

I thought his touch was good, I thought his work rate was good. And I think that 90 minutes will stand him in good stead because he’s an asset, there’s no question of that.

He can be very pleased. He’ll be disappointed he didn’t get more chances. But then tonight wasn’t about that, it was about him getting through the 90 minutes injury free and setting him up now for these run of games.

Odsonne Edouard was one of six players left out of the trip to Romania with Lennon watching the young striker’s fitness very closely.

After missing three matches through injury Edouard played the last half hour of the League Cup Final on Sunday.

With Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen to be played over the course of seven days having Griffiths available to share the duties with Edouard will be a very welcome boost for Lennon.

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