Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers has revealed that he is delighted with Leigh Griffiths and insisted that the Bhoys striker is one of the best players to work with at the club.
Griffiths, who was asked to add to his natural goalscoring ability by the manager ahead of the clash against Rosenborg, came off the bench and scored at late winner at Parkhead on Thursday.
The striker replaced Odsonne Edouard, who had a lacklustre outing against Rosenborg, in the 76th minute and it took him just over 10 minutes to grab the opening and only goal of the game.
Griffiths pounced on the end of a header directed towards him by Dedryck Boyata, following Scott Brown’s precise delivery, to grab the winner and send the home fans into a delirium of noise.
The goal came at the right time for the striker as he was asked to improve on his overall game by Rodgers, ahead of the match, before being fined after he was found guilty of speeding on Thursday.
However, his performance will have boosted his boss, while Rodgers revealed that he loves working with Griffiths at Celtic while also adding that he is a vital cog in his system at Parkhead.
“I love working with him”, Rodgers told the club’s official website.
“I came in and tried to improve his game in every aspect on and off the field. He’s vital to this club and the squad.
“Whether he plays or on the bench he wants to play for Celtic.
“He’s got that hunger and he realises at 28 when you’ve got that competition then he has to fight. He does that.
“He knows when he comes on, if he gets a chance, then there’s a big chance he’ll score. We need that in the team.
“He’s great guy to work with, can’t play in every game but I know if he plays then there’s every chance he’ll score”, he added.
Griffiths may well now play a role on Sunday when Celtic travel to Kilmarnock for their next Scottish Premiership outing.
