Neil Lennon’s handling of Leigh Griffiths’s latest fitness issues has been called into question after the Scotland international was left behind as the Celtic squad head out to France for pre-season training and friendly fixtures.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound (reported in The Daily Record), former Premiership midfielder, John Rankin, feels that having to train alone will have done little to help the striker’s much reported mental health state.
So what has Rankin said?
When discussing the subject of Griffiths’ fitness issues following the extended break, he said:
“I question whether dealing with it this way is the best way to handle it. Maybe keeping him among the group might have been better than leaving him here and punishing him.
“He’s not responded himself when he’s been training alone during lockdown, and he’s now going to be forced to stay here and train alone again.
“Is that going to be the best way of getting him back for the start of the season?
“Maybe Neil’s making everyone looking at it from the outside realise that Leigh’s not been putting in the effort that’s required.
“But where else are Celtic going to get the goals Leigh Griffiths will get? They need him.”
So is Rankin correct?
Without knowing what goes on behind closed doors, he has a valid point, Griffiths has been vocal before about his struggles with inner demons and being separated from the squad after being isolated for so long could have a negative effect.
However, there also has to be a line that Griffiths toes and he can’t be seen to be getting preferential treatment over the rest of his team-mates, every player was in the same boat when the country went into lockdown and he has nobody to blame but himself if his fitness levels are not where they should be.
Lennon was faced with a difficult choice and it may be that if it had been another player that they would not be so publicly shamed, but the 29-year old forward has had a far from angelic past and the closed doors could yet know something that the rest of Scottish football doesn’t.