Leigh Griffiths misses Celtic's French tour to improve his fitness
- Published
Leigh Griffiths will have to work on his fitness to find a way into manager Neil Lennon's plans
Leigh Griffiths will remain at Celtic's training base in Lennoxtown to improve his fitness rather than join the squad for pre-season friendlies in France.
He will miss the matches against Nice on Thursday, host club Lyon on Saturday and the final game against Paris St-Germain in Paris on 21 July.
The 29-year-old striker scored 11 times in 31 matches for Celtic last season.
"Leigh is undertaking his own fitness programme along with some other players at Lennoxtown," said Celtic.
"He will team up with the squad when they return from France."
It had been reported in the Daily Record, external that Griffiths had returned to training last month "out of condition" and was not part of the squad's pre-season camp at Loughborough.
The Scotland international missed part of last season through injury and personal problems.
His goal in Celtic's 2-1 win over Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup in January was his first in five months.
Manager Neil Lennon has Odsonne Edouard, Patryk Klimala and Vakoun Bayo as his main striking options, while Ryan Christie and Michael Johnston also offer an attacking threat.
'Team-mates should pull him up' - analysis
Former Celtic captain Paul Lambert on BBC Scotland's Scottish Football podcast
The player has to look at himself. The dressing room should handle him as well. The bigger players should pull him up and say, 'What are you doing?'
Lennon will be torn in between it all, thinking 'we have a really good player here, but I have to make a stance for the rest of the guys. If you let one away with it, it's not good for the rest of them'.
I know he's had problems off the pitch, but in a football sense you have to look after yourself or you'll get left behind. And before you know it, you'll be saying 'If only'. And by then you're no good to anybody.