Leigh Griffiths may not have used the SPFL shutdown properly in terms of keeping himself fit, but former manager Pat Fenlon reckons there's nobody who applies himself on a football pitch better than the Celtic striker.

Fenlon worked with some top front men during his time at Hibs including Garry O'Connor, Derek Riordan and Griffiths. But it was the latter who impressed the Irishman most. Griffiths's finishing and ability on the field has never been questioned. The debate and, perhaps, frustration for Hoops fans and manager Neil Lennon would be that the Scotland cap can sometimes be his own worst enemy off the pitch.

Lennon recently had a heart-to-heart with the player to explain he'd be left at home while his teammates headed to Loughborough and then France for some pre-season friendlies in a mini-tournament against the likes of PSG, Lyon and Rennes. It was, by all accounts, a fitness issue that Griffiths must address.

But Fenlon, 51, is adamant Griffiths has shown in the past he can knuckle down when the going gets tough. And he has backed the player to get back to form and prove himself once again to have another good season in Glasgow - to add to the 11 goals in 31 appearances he bagged in all competitions last season. "When I was at Hibs it was Garry O'Connor, he was a very good player who maybe lost his way a wee bit," Fenlon told H&T Sport.

"He had talent, there's no doubt. When you have that talent, you have to try and nurture it and get the best from it on a Saturday. It was a bit the same as Leigh Griffiths. He has shown that talent tenfold since his move to Celtic. Even at Hibs he was an absolute diamond for the club. He is a great guy, too, there's a lot of talk about him but he always trained hard and wanted to play football. The problem with him was actually getting him off the training pitch.

"When you go into a club and assess your players for the first time, you look around and can see he was a player. You could see the talent he had, his finishing even then was exemplary with both feet. He was a great headerer of the ball for a little fella. His work rate and attitude towards the game on the pitch was second to none, so you knew he had a great chance. It was just about pushing him in the right direction and away from some other stuff going on. In fairness to him he knuckled down and done that.

"A move to Hibs gave him a refresher. That's down to how he's applied himself. He has all the talents you need as a striker, he leads the line well on his own, he can play with somebody. On the pitch there's no managing him, though off the field it was a little bit different. He was a young boy and sometimes young lads can do stupid things."

Neil Lennon has been a vital figure in Griffiths's career of late and understandably wants his player to get back fit and firing with 10 in a row on the line this year. The boss will need his big players ready to go to ensure there's no let up and the latter has become a key part of Lennon's team recently with the introduction of the 3-5-2 formation.

At Hibs under Fenlon, Griffiths was a proven goal scorer and did his best work in front of goal. Even with players at Easter Road who could not boast the same talent and experience as the current crop of Celtic players alongside Griffiths including Odsonne Edouard, Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor and James Forrest.

Fenlon always knew, however, that the player he signed for the Leith outfit would be a huge success at Parkhead because he'd score even more goals thanks to the creative talent he had around him putting the ball on a plate for him to strike. The manager also always had confidence that the attacker could even go beyond Celtic later in his career and play at an even higher level - such as the Premier League down south.

"I was delighted when he went to Celtic because you know they're going to create a bundle of chances and he would take them," the current Linfield General Manager added. "It was the right move at the right time with the right managers who have been great for him. He's had issues but Neil has nurtured him and got him back in the team.

"I've always said Leigh could play at a higher level and that's not being disrespectful to Celtic, they are a massive club. But he is a top player and he's proven that for Scotland, as well. When I had Leigh he had lost his way at Wolves, wasn't playing and was disappointed. He's come through that, now."