Neil Lennon explains why Griffiths was not in squad vs Hamilton

Celtic manager Neil Lennon explained and shed light on why Hoops star and striker Leigh Griffiths was not included in the squad against Hamilton.

Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths disappointed his manager, Neil Lennon, early last month when he reported for team training out of fitness. It was clear that while other players, such as Patryk Klimala, were busy training to be in the best shape of their life, Griffiths wasn’t.

The Hoops manager left Griffiths out of the travel squad that made its way to France to take on Nice, Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain in pre-season friendlies in July. Lennon held no punches when he discussed Griffiths’s lack of fitness and attention to detail when it came to preparing for the season.

With a shot fired across the bow, Griffiths got done to business and quickly worked hard to return to a fitness level good enough for Lennon to put him in the final pre-season friendly against Hibernian where he looked the part. That performance led many to believe Griffiths would make the squad for the first match of the season against Hamilton. However, that was not the case.

So, why did Lennon leave Griffiths out of the squad for the first match of the season and on Flag Day no less? Here is what the manager had to say according to The BBC:

“He [Griffiths] would’ve been in the squad, but he rolled his ankle yesterday. He’s going to do a little bit of rehab over the next couple of days, but he should be okay for next weekend.”

It appears Griffiths will be ready to go for the match against Kilmarnock. Despite Klimala scoring a last minute goal against Hamilton, Griffiths is the clear number two striker if he is healthy. Last season proved to be a renaissance for the striker and he will look to build off of those performances. 10-in-a-row is underway.