Brendan Rodgers has praised Leigh Griffiths for the manner in which the 27-year-old has made himself the leading striker for Scotland.

A new era awaits for the national team and while Griffiths did not start the failed World Cup qualification campaign as the first-choice striker, he most certainly finished it that way.

Hoops’ boss Rodgers urged the player to knuckle down last season and keep his focus on his football, advice he has credited Griffiths as taking heed of.

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“You give credit to the boy,” he said. “He has risen to the challenges that we spoke about last year.

“You see his focus now, his professionalism, the focus in his game.

“One of the things we spoke about in his game, especially if you are not a massive presence, is your lay-off. It has to be important.

“You look at that feature of his game now and the set-up play and lay-offs show the improvement.

“He’s as good as anyone 25 yards in and his finish in Slovenia was brilliant.

“That was a great start that Scotland wanted in the game, so I’m delighted for him and frustrated that it’s ended for this tournament.

“Going forward there, you have real shining light to have someone who is mobile, can finish and can set the game up. Obviously, he’s getting the experience with us to do it at the very highest level.”

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Such has been the manner in which Griffiths has started the season that Moussa Dembele’s return to fitness does not automatically equate to going straight back into the starting line-up.

It is a fraught week for Celtic, with a trio of games kicking off against Dundee tomorrow before the Parkhead side square up to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and then Hibs in the semi-final of the League Cup.

Dembele’s involvement has been stop-start following a hamstring pull back in April, an injury he suffered a recurrence of at the start of the campaign.

And Rodgers revealed that he pulled the striker aside for a chat at Lennoxtown this week to reassure him that his fitness will come, along with the goals.

Dembele netted 32 goals in his inaugural season at the club and was linked with a high profile move in both the Christmas and summer transfer window. And Rodgers fully expects the player to be back among the headlines – although he may have to wait for his chance given the form of Griffiths.

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“Moussa got some game-time and I spoke with him at length on Thursday morning,” said Rodgers.

“It’s probably been a wee bit difficult for him and that is a boy who has done absolutely everything to get fit.

“This is the balancing act between getting game-time.

“We just want him available and ready to impact whether from the bench or starting.

“As you saw last season, he’ll get plenty opportunities to play.

““He’s in a real good place, he knows the team is doing great, but he’s ready if asked.”