DIXIE DEANS has stated that he is delighted to see Leigh Griffiths get back to scoring goals for Celtic and hopes that he soon surpasses him in the all time goalscorer charts for the Scottish Champions.
As reported by the Scottish Sun, Deans said that Griffiths score tally and contract length means that he will be entering the top 20 list of Celtic goal scorers and catching up with Deans’ 124 goal tally.
“He’s on 115 goals and what’s to stop him scoring a lot more over the next three or four years?
“Good on the boy. I am really happy for him and I hope he goes even higher up that list.
“I have no doubt he will add to that tally and find his name among all the great strikers.”
Deans has praised Griffiths for returning to football after injuries and personal issues sidelined him. In late 2018, Griffiths took a leave of absence from football as he sought to address his off the field issues. Under Neil Lennon’s second tenure, the 29-year-old made his return despite many writing him off, Griffiths found a way to regain his place in the first team.
“Leigh has been through a lot over the last 18 months. It’s been a tough time for him.
“There will have been people saying he was probably finished at Celtic.
“He had been out of the team for a few months and things weren’t looking great for him.
“But he got the head down and proved the critics wrong. He worked hard and got the rewards and seeing the way he was playing in the first few months of 2020 was brilliant.”
Griffiths form coincided with Neil Lennon’s decision to switch formation to 3-5-2. The 70s star believes that Griffiths and Edouard improve eachother as well as improving the side.
“Credit to the manager for changing his system and getting two strikers into the team.
“Most play with just one forward now and in Odsonne Edouard Celtic have a special talent.
“But I think having Griffiths alongside him shares a lot of the responsibility and that helps. Celtic were playing well in the first half of the season, but they stepped it up after the break.”
Celtic were 13 points clear of second placed Rangers with eight games remaining. In the final game before games were shelved, Griffiths scored a hat-trick.
