JUST as Leigh Griffiths has had to assume sole responsibility for his transgressions, so too should he and he alone be given the credit for getting back into a position to contribute once more for club and country.

That’s the opinion of Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who could fairly claim a portion of the praise that will come the way of his forward should he continue his resurgence at Celtic, or if he celebrates his Scotland recall by firing the national team to their first major championship in over two decades in Serbia next week.

There appears to be a paternal element to the relationship between Lennon and Griffiths, with the Celtic boss backing his player in circumstances where other coaches may have cut their losses with the forward.

That’s because Lennon knows what there is to be gained from having a fit and firing Griffiths at his disposal, and he has challenged his player to vindicate him once more. He isn’t looking for pats on the back for standing by the striker, he’s looking to be repaid by Griffiths sticking the ball in the back of the net.

“I don’t take anything from it,” Lennon said. “I just love seeing him back playing and scoring goals – the things he’s good at.

“I was disappointed with him after lockdown but he’s knuckled down and is contributing now. Which is really important.

“He was really good in the second half of last season for us and I’m looking for more of the same this season.

“He’s already weighed in with a couple of important goals, against St Johnstone and against Aberdeen. He’s had some minutes against Milan and some minutes on Sunday at Hampden, as well, so it’s all good from our perspective.

“What I know I’ve got with Leigh is someone who is a danger, a brilliant finisher and a really good footballer with a really intelligent football brain.

“I’m not saying he’s completely turned the corner. But he’s definitely on the right path, staying strong, staying fit and being available for a lot more games this season.

“I’m delighted with him. I think he can get fitter. But that might come with more game time. But he’s made a really telling contribution for us in a couple of the games and he’s very good to have around the place.

“So it’s a real positive step for him, being called back up for Scotland. I know how much that means to him.

“Hopefully he’ll get a real boost from that and we’re pleased for him, as well.

“Leigh’s had his ups and downs like everyone else. People like his style of play. He’s quick and direct. He sees the whites of the goal and he wants to hit the target more often than not.

“He enjoys scoring goals and he’s a natural. There’s not that many like him around, so a lot of people enjoy that style of play.”

For all those warm words though, it is far from a given that Griffiths will be handed a start tonight when Celtic take on Sparta Prague in a crucial Europa League tie, with four strikers vying for two spots at best, depending upon which system Lennon employs.

“It is tough,” Lennon said. “We’ve got good competition. I’ve got four strikers who are different, all have different skill sets.

“But Leigh’s a top, top finisher, a real natural striker of the ball. And he’s good in the air, as well, for his size. He’s a real intelligent centre forward.

“You know, he’s missed out on a lot in the last couple of years. Hopefully. He can make up for that now.”

Celtic know only too well the impact that Coronavirus can have on a squad of players having suffered from their own mini-outbreak after the last international fixtures, so it is perhaps unsurprising that Lennon has sympathy with his opponents tonight, who arrive in Glasgow decimated by the absence of a host of first-team regulars and undercooked due to a lack of domestic action.

Those sympathies only extend until the whistle blows though, with the Celtic boss all too aware of how crucial three points is tonight to his side’s chances of qualifying from their Europa League section.

“It is really important that we get right back into this,” he said. “We need to win the home games and hopefully that opens the group up for us.

“Something’s got to give between Lille and Milan in the next two games. And we’ve got to try to take maximum points from the next two games. If not, make sure we can win at home and take something away.

“That puts us right in the group again. I’ve got sympathies with the coach, obviously, over the lack of games. I’ve been through it myself and it’s not easy to deal with.

“But I just focus on us. We’ve got to be strong, we’re not going to take Sparta lightly regardless of the situation – and it’s a game we really want to win so we can start looking forward in the group.

“They have only had games two recently and both have been in the Europa League. They’ve had postponements domestically and may be finding it really hard to find any match rhythm.

“They’ve taken a couple of heavy defeats in the group and it’s been a bit stop-start for them, really. So it’s understandable why results may not be what they should have been, but they are a good European side and there’s no easy games at this level.

“They are functional and hard working and will give it everything. They’re very difficult at times to break down. They have had losses to the illness and that’s been really detrimental to progress they have been trying to make.”