McLeish warns Griff he may not win his Scotland spot back
friendly against Portugal at Hampden on Sunday evening.
A statement released by the centre forward, who became a hero to the Tartan Army when he scored two late free-kicks against England in a Russia 2018 qualifier last year, revealed he wanted to focus on his fitness.
Yet, Griffiths has started in the Scottish champions’ last five games – and has scored three goals in his last six matches – and the move has raised fears among fans that he may choose not to represent the national team in future.
McLeish insisted there were no issues with the former Livingston, Dundee, Wolves and Hibernian striker – but did admit that he was gambling with his international career and may not be able to get back in for the games against Albania away and Israel at home next month.
“I had a conversation with him at the weekend,” he said.
“He feels he has got to work on his fitness. He pulled himself out. He wants to be honest with himself and about the situation. We are happy that there are no other call-offs. We go forward.”
“There’s not problem with that.
I understand a reaction at a particular time, but he didn’t carry it a forward. I said at the time that he replied by scoring three goals in quick succession. That was a good reaction to the whole thing. There is not a problem.
“I had a good conversation with Leigh on Saturday. I said: ‘Okay, there are obviously no guarantees, but if you feel you have got to get yourself fit’. That is down to his mentality. He is determined to do it. Let’s see what happens.”
Asked if he was taking a gamble by choosing not to play, he said: “Yeah, but it is his personal decision. It is up to Leigh to see what happens in the future. There are no guarantees. He knows that. That is how I left it.
“I’ve said there are no guarantees. We are looking for top performances from the guys that we have in the current squad. Everybody here wants to play for Scotland in these games. If we can get positive results then it just increases the confidence levels and empowers the players.”
Griffiths, who underwent a clean-up operation during the summer, released a statement stressing that he was still keen to be involved with his country in future.
“I feel that I need to focus on my fitness over this international period and get back into the best possible shape,” he said.