Celtic Assistant Manager, John Kennedy, says they have no intention of giving up on the season and plan to use the good work done on their winter training camp to “attack” the remainder of the campaign.

Speaking at Lennoxtown following the squad’s return from Dubai, Kennedy said he was pleased with the work the players had put in as he looked forward to pushing on with confidence.

He said, “That’s got to be our mindset, there’s nothing else for it. We’ve got to approach (the season) as positively as we possibly can. We know the situation is difficult but we’ll never lay down and allow things just to pass. We’re going to attack it with a real purpose and drive to try and turn it around.”

"We know the situation is difficult but we’ll never lay down and allow things just to pass."

“We know what we get (in Dubai) in terms of the training facility and the hotel and everything around the place. We got a lot of work done which would have been difficult here considering the weather. So, really good sessions, really intense week and we hope it sets us up well for the remainder of the season.”

Kennedy confirmed that influential winger James Forrest will soon return to first-team training which is a real boost to the squad. However, Christopher Jullien’s knee injury, which will keep him out for some time, means the club will look to strengthen in the centre of defence this transfer window, with former Celtic loanee, Filip Benkovic, under consideration.

“It’s a situation following Christopher Jullien’s injury that we have to look at” added Kennedy. “We’re a bit short in that area now. Filip is one who we are well aware of and we’ve spoken about. We know what he’s capable of and he’s a guy who’s been here and knows what it’s about. So, he’s certainly one that’s on the shortlist.”

"Filip is one who we are well aware of and we’ve spoken about."

Fans have enjoyed watching Celtic’s new midfield diamond consisting of Ismaila Soro, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie and the SPFL’s December Player of the Month, David Turnbull. Kennedy acknowledges the system has been working well but says it’s important that they can adapt to more than one shape.

“It’s worked well for us in the last period. It’s something we’ve looked at and spoken about for a little while. We find ourselves short of wingers and as coaching staff we have to find solutions for that. With what was available we felt it was the right time to roll it out. We did a lot of work in training and the boys adapted to it really well, considering we’ve only played it for less than a month. It’s a good system for us but we’ve also got to be very flexible and be able to adapt when needs be.”

First up though all the focus will be on Monday’s opponents, Hibernian, who come to Celtic Park for a 7.45pm kick-off. It’s a game which the Assistant Manager is taking very seriously.

“It’ll be tough. Jack (Ross) is a good manager and a good coach who always sets his teams up well. They’re a good side with good players. It’s always a tough game and we’re prepared for that.”

John Kennedy: We’re going to attack the rest of the season with real purpose