Leigh Griffiths out to 'shut up' doubters after returning from 'major depression' battle

Leigh Griffiths has returned to the Celtic first-team.

Leigh Griffiths has lifted the lid on the severe battle with depression which saw the Celtic striker sit out the second half of last season.

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The last time Griffiths played for his club was as a substitute in a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock back on December 8.

It was revealed a few days later that he'd be out for an indefinite period due to "personal reasons". Griffiths later stated it was mental health related after speculation swirled in both social and mainstream media.

Speaking after he made a scoring return to Celtic, netting in the 6-1 friendly SC Pinkafeld in Austria, the Scottish international stated his gratitude towards the club and his determination to silence those who thought his career was over.

He told the Daily Record: “It was major depression. People might say, ‘what’s he got to be depressed about’, but there are stressful times and it wasn’t the best of times for me.

"There are a lot of people who thought I would never play football again. I just want to shut them up now.

“Other people thought I would never get back and I was never going to play again but everyone close to me knew that I was coming back. I’ve got a huge gratitude to Celtic because without their help I wouldn’t be back.

“The manager came in and said, ‘This is a fresh start for you, get back doing what you do best.’ I’ve started off well and I just want it to continue.”