Brendan Rodgers has hinted that Leigh Griffiths may have to be patient as he bides his time to get back into the Hoops starting line-up.

The striker was the top goalscorer in the country last season but lost his place after picking up a hamstring injury in the win over Aberdeen just over a month ago.

And with Dembele netting a hat-trick against Rangers and then hitting the headlines again with his display against Manchester City, Griffiths’ may find it harder than initially anticipated to get back into the team.

The dup could play together in certain games, although there seemed some reticence on Rodgers’ part about that scenario.

“Probably,” he said, when asked if they could play as a two. “In a certain system. My job is to make the team work. I would love to be able to fit everyone in.

“I have a squad of 26 here who are all fully fit and fighting, working and I wish I could give them all a game. It is the hardest part of football.

“Guys are throwing everything into their life for you and focussing on many things in terms of diet and nutrition. I see guys changing their lifestyle and giving everything to be the best they can be but then I can’t give them a game.

“There is a way of working that I work and I have to make the team work and unfortunately some players will miss out at different times. Leigh was unfortunate when he got injured. He was playing, he was scoring goals now he is out of the team and Moussa is playing. But we will need everyone.”

Rodgers was still enthused by the manner of the performance against Manchester City on Wednesday night, but his challenge now is in replicating that same aggressive, focussed display on the road where Celtic’s meekness has been a weight around their shoulders.

“There’s no doubt that’s been the criticism of Celtic as a whole over a number of years,” he said. “How do you take that intensity of that performance level away?

“There’s no doubt that the crowd are a huge support for us and influence for us but, of course, one of my goals over the coming seasons is to make us a force domestically and in Europe and particularly on the road.

“If we’re going to achieve great things we have to be able to do that.”