Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was full of praise for star striker Odsonne Edouard after his performance in the 4-2 victory over Hibernian on Saturday.
The 6ft 1in Frenchman [Source: Transfermarkt] scored a second half brace as the Hoops held off a comeback from Neil Lennon’s side.
Rodgers was thrilled with the 20-year-old’s display: “Odsonne Edouard is something different, he’s not a target man,” he told the Scottish Sun. “The ball can go up to him and he can hold it up and lots of times it will stay.
“He’s different to, say, Moussa Dembele — a different physicality, a different type. He’s 6ft 2in, he’s strong and he’s quick. I’d like to think he’ll be a good reference for us — he’s shown that enough,” he said.
OPINION
Celtic’s superior quality was the difference against Hibs on Saturday and Edouard was a big part of that. As Lennon’s side began to get back into the game in the second half, it was the former Paris Saint-Germain man who put the game to bed. That showed a maturity that belies the youngster’s tender years, and demonstrated why Edouard is going to be a big player for the club for many years to come. The Dembele comparison is an interesting one, and in some ways it’s bizarre to hear Rodgers still mention the former Hoops man’s name now that he no longer plies his trade at Parkhead. Dembele has proved that he’s a more prolific goalscorer than Edouard, but perhaps the Celtic man is a superior team player in Rodgers’s eyes. He’s not a traditional target man, but he can operate in that role as well. He is a versatile frontman and it’s clear that Rodgers values that highly.