Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths is “fighting for his future” at the club, says former Scotland assistant boss James McFadden.
It was well documented that Neil Lennon slammed the striker for returning after the close season out of condition and overweight. McFadden fears that Griffiths may now not get the chance to prove himself again.
“He’s let the manager down, himself down, and he’s fighting for his future now,” he said. “Last season, when he came back, Neil Lennon stuck by him and got him playing sensationally. He’s going to have to do it again, but is he going to get the chance? I don’t know.”
Celtic kick-off their pursuit of 10 in a row against Hamilton on 2 August, and McFadden believes Griffiths is now unlikely to be fit enough to play.
“Neil Lennon’s decided that he’s not fit enough to come off the bench for half an hour in a friendly,” he added on Sportsound. “So he won’t be as fit as he should be or as he was when the season broke up. To defend him a little bit – it’s easily done. You get into a rut and obviously he’s struggled before with mental health. But it’s been a long time (since football stopped in March) and he should realise we’re back in two or three weeks, I need to get the weight off and make sure that I’m ready to fight for my spot again.”