NEIL Lennon said he was pleased with Leigh Griffiths’ progress after the Hoops striker helped Celtic to a 3-1 win against Hibernian in their final pre-season friendly before this weekend’s season opener.

Hibernian presented a good challenge for Celtic and took the lead in the 14th minute. Celtic secured a well-deserved equaliser through Karamoko Dembele before half time.

With the score level, Neil Lennon brought Griffiths on just before the hour mark. The 29-year-old helped Celtic take the lead when he cut open the Hibs defence and chipped the keeper, leaving Patryk Klimala to tap into an open goal. Five minutes later, his corner was headed in at the back post by Klimala to secure the win for the Hoops.

Speaking to the media after the game, Neil Lennon praised Griffiths for the hard work he has put in while the team were away in France.

“Leigh was great today,” said Neil Lennon. “He looks great and it was the best I’ve seen him in a long time in terms of how he looks and his conditioning.

“I’m delighted with his response to what we’ve asked of him. He just has to maintain that now and there’s no question he’ll be a real asset to us. We’ll see how he is over the next few days. He thinks he’s maybe a week to 10 days away from being ready.”

Neil Lennon said he was also pleased with the performances of the two goalscorers.

“Klimala worked hard,” said the manager. “There are aspects of his game he needs to improve on. I see a change in his demeanour as well. He’s getting used to the Scottish game. It’s a totally different game to Poland, and I’m pleased with his attitude and how he’s progressed.

“We want Karamoko around the first-team squad this season. It’s that time now where he’s going to be training with us all the time. He might dip in and out but we still need to be careful. I’m delighted with what I saw of him today. He’s looking stronger as he goes along and the more he trains with the first team the quicker he’ll come along.”

Manager pleased with Griffiths' progress after win over Hibs