LEIGH Griffiths’ hat-trick against St Mirren in Celtic’s most recent game highlighted the strides the player has made since the turn of the year, but when the Celtic View sat down to speak with the Hoops striker, he insisted there was plenty more to come as he mapped his path back to peak form.

However, events outwith football have called a halt to the current campaign, with last Sunday’s Glasgow derby, along with the rest of the weekend calendar in Scotland, the first fixtures postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

While Griffiths and his team-mates were understandably frustrated with the postponement, as were supporters who had been looking forward to the game, there was also an appreciation that it was the right decision. And the Celtic squad will continue to be guided by the expert advice the club are receiving.

Speaking exclusively to the Celtic View, Griffiths explained the strides forward he’s made this season, particularly in 2020, while acknowledging there was, and is, much more work to be done.

“I feel there’s more to come from me,” said Griffiths. “I can still get fitter and sharper so that’s what I’m working on for now.

“It’s always nice to score. I’m back in the team and helping the team get three points was massive. To top that off with a hat-trick was brilliant.

“I didn’t go into the game thinking I was going to get a hat-trick. You can never determine what’s going to happen in a game. I just had to be in the right positions at the right time and, thankfully, the goals have come. It wasn’t about my goals or my performance, though. It was about the whole team performance, which was brilliant.”

Griffiths’ treble against St Mirren took his tally to eight in the first seven weeks of the second half of the season, which underlines the progress he’s made.

“The manager hasn’t had to say much to me,” said Griffiths. “I know I can get a bit leaner and fitter so I’m working on that now. You never want to be told that you need to be a bit sharper. You want that to be concrete but if you’ve been told something, and they can see room for improvement, you have to get that done.

"Seeing the improvement in all the different areas means more positivity and that’s only good so it gives you more motivation to keep working hard.”

Griffiths points to Celtic’s winter training camp in Dubai as the springboard for the progress he made in the second half of the season.

“The chat we had in Dubai was a turning point for not just me but the whole team,” said Griffiths. “We talked about the run of form we had to hit to make sure we were top of the league, and everyone can see we've been outstanding since we came back. We’ve not been beaten domestically and we’ve only dropped two points.

“I’m looking forward to making more strides forward in the coming months. The week in Dubai was great so a full pre-season will help me hit my peak.”

Leigh Griffiths speaks exclusively to this week's Celtic View, which is on sale now.

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Celtic View interview: Leigh Griffiths on his 2020 goals to date