Brown backs Griffiths to shine for club and country in comeback

SCOTT Brown believes the return of Leigh Griffiths would be a timely boost for both Scotland and Celtic.

The Hoops striker has been out since a 3-1 victory over Hearts in late August due to personal problems which were followed by niggling i njuries and a virus.

However, t he f ormer Dundee forward scored a brace for Celtic reserves against Stenhousemuir in a friendly at Lennoxtown on Wednesday.

And with Scotland having a Nations League play-off semi-final to look forward to in March and Celtic already qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League in the midst of a tough domestic campaign, Brown insists a fully-fit Griffiths would provide a fillip for both club and country.

Brown said: “We need Leigh to be back fit as a fiddle, working hard and back to doing what he does best, scoring goals.

“Whether it’s for us, for

Scotland, it’d be a great boost and it would be a good boost for us as well.

“When he played for Scotland he was incredible. I enjoyed playing alongside him.

“You saw the way he played against England, those two free-kicks (in 2017’s 2-2 draw). It wasn’t just about the free-kicks, it was about how you control two centre-halves.

“We all know what his left foot can do, anyway, we know he is going to put the ball in the back of the net but it’s just about making sure that he is as fit as he possibly can (be).”

Brown, 34, retired from Scotland duty to prolong his Celtic career but was pleased to see his Hoops team-mates return from international duty following back-to-back wins.

After beating Cyprus 2-1 on Saturday, Steve Clarke’s side concluded their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan at Hampden Park on Tuesday.

Leigh Griffiths is on his way back at Celtic.