Celtic boss Neil Lennon says Leigh Griffiths will not be going out on loan

Neil Lennon will add two new players, at least, to the Celtic squad in January.

But the Parkhead gaffer is adamant Leigh Griffiths won’t be going out on loan.

The striker has found it hard to get game time this season and couldn’t even make the bench for last month’s League Cup Final against Rangers.

Lennon, however, believes Griffiths is nearing full fitness and can make an impact this term.

He said: “Leigh’s too good a player to go out on loan.

“I think he can be an asset for us in the second half of the season.

“He’s not making any waves to go.

“He brings us that something different. He has that striker’s instinct and movement.

“He’s looking better in training – day by day, week by week.

“If we can get him fully fit for the long haul, there’s no way I’d let him go on loan.

“He seems happy and he’s not coming off it. He doesn’t seem distracted by anything.

“He’s making good progress and is very willing.

“We gave the boys a day off on Thursday and he came in – that’s a really good sign for me.

“I don’t know if he’d have done that in the past. Probably not.

“He knows he’s got to stay on top of things, and he’s doing that as best he can.”

With new players set to arrive, some others will have to leave.

They could go on loan or make permanent moves.

Men like Jack Hendry, Marian Shved, Eboue Kouassi, Luca Connell and Vakoun Issouf Bayo are struggling to get near the Hoops’ first-team squad.

Scott Sinclair has become a fringe player this term, but will be difficult to move on.

The 30-year-old is one of Celtic’s top earners and is out of contract in the summer.

Lennon said: “We’re looking to add a minimum of two, and no more than four.

“We’re working away on that.

“It’s difficult to do deals in January and get the right quality.

“The squad needs a bit of streamlining and we’ll look to keep the main core together as we go along.

“Some need to go out and play. We may benefit from that in the future.

“It’s difficult keeping them all happy, especially because of the consistency of the first team since the start of the season.”

Celtic face St Mirren on Boxing Day and Rangers next Sunday, then there’s a winter-break training camp in Dubai.

Lennon went on: “You can’t beat a bit of warm weather. But the players will be working hard – it will be like a mini pre-season.

“They will get a few days break before we go out to Dubai, and then we will be doing some really intense work.

“That will benefit them in the second half of the season.”