Celtic hitman Leigh Griffiths tipped to return to Hibs one day

Leigh Griffiths has been tipped to follow the trend of high-profile former Hibs players returning to the club later in their careers.

Tim Clancy, far left, would not be surprised to see Leigh Griffiths back in a Hibs shirt before his career is over. Pic: SNS

Ian Murray, Derek Riordan, Garry O’Connor, Kevin Thomson, Steven Whittaker and Anthony Stokes all flourished at Easter Road as younger players before going back for a second – or third, in the cases of Thomson and Stokes – stint several years later.

Griffiths, who scored 39 goals in two years on loan at Hibs from Wolverhampton Wanderers between 2011 and 2013, is due to line up against his boyhood club for the first time in his career when his current team, Celtic, host the Easter Road side in a Premiership fixture this Saturday.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you saw Leigh back in a Hibs shirt later in his career,” said Tim Clancy, who was Griffiths’ team-mate at Easter Road in the 2012/13 season. “It’s no secret that he absolutely loves Hibs. He goes back to watch them play whenever it doesn’t tie in with his own football calendar. If there comes a point later in his career when Hibs still think he’d be a benefit to them, I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate in going back.”