Unfit Celt Griff told to lose pounds
Overweight striker not fit for France
Overweight Leigh Griffiths has been told he won’t be travelling with the Celtic squad to France tomorrow.
Instead the Scotland striker must stay at home to work on his
conditioning after piling on the pounds during lockdown. It is understood Griffiths reported back for training last month out of condition and over his optimum playing weight.
Neil Lennon’s men are due to fly out tomorrow to play three games in five days against Nice, Lyon and PSG in the Veolia Trophy.
But Griffiths has been deemed not fit enough to take part and was not with the squad last week at Loughborough University.
He has been ordered to work on his own training scheme at Lennoxtown ahead of the Hoops’ new season opener on August 2.
The Celtic players returned to staggered training sessions last month when lockdown restrictions were eased.
It ’ s bel ieved that Griffiths had failed to meet his specific conditioning targets. He may now face an uphill battle to get physically fit enough to retain his first-team place.
A Celtic spokesman last night confirmed: “Leigh is undertaking his own fitness programme along with some other players at Lennoxtown and will team up with the squad when they return from France.”
As the Parkhead side gear up for a push towards a historic 10- in- a- row, Lennon had hoped Griff would have been capable of sustaining the form he had showed towards the end of last campaign.
The striker, who has struggled with depression in the past, had played a prominent part in Celtic’s run-in towards the title.
The 29-year-old scored eight goals in 13 games from the turn of the year until the football freeze as a result of Covid-19.
The Parkhead side open their season in less than three weeks with a game against Hamilton Accies.