The Celtic boss fielded questions from reporters about his squad earlier today.
Celtic manager Neil Lennon has confirmed that Leigh Griffiths will miss out on the UEFA Europa League clash against Cluj on Thursday night, speaking in a press conference on Wednesday.
The striker has been struggling with injury and fitness issues over the last few weeks, also missing the weekend’s match against Hibernian with a virus.
With Vakoun Bayo suspended for the European encounter, he’ll have been hoping to win a place on the bench and potentially come on for Odsonne Edouard at some point in the match.
However, he hasn’t quite shown he’s ready for first-team football, with Lennon confirming he won’t feature.
There’s bad news for Mikey Johnston too, with the young winger having a bad reaction to first-team training this week.
With Tom Rogic also struggling with a knee issue, there are still injury problems in the Hoops squad.
Speaking on the club’s official YouTube channel, Lennon explained: “Mikey, he’s trained the last couple of days but he’s a little bit sore, so he may be a doubt to be in the squad.
“Bitton should be OK.
“Griffiths isn’t up to speed yet either so he’ll miss out. And we’re waiting on seeing how Tom Rogic is as well.”
Missed his window?
Bayo has really stepped up his bid to be the number two striker at Celtic in recent weeks, with Lennon fancying him for a recent League Cup clash against Partick Thistle.
Scoring in that match, he again got minutes in the recent Scottish Premiership clash at Easter Road.
For Griffiths to push himself into Lennon’s plans, he really needed to be fit for the Cluj match. As noted, Bayo will be missing and it could have been a rare opportunity for the Scotland man.
The striker now hasn’t been seen in action since August, playing in a Celtic Park win over Hearts. With opportunities limited as it is, his lack of availability could be a major contributing factor in not getting more chances in the future.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
