OPINION
Odsonne Edouard has indisputably been Celtic’s main man up front this season, but there remains a feeling that the Frenchman could be doing more for the Hoops.
He is a wonderful talent and he remains just 21 years of age, but for all his ability he is yet to really set the Scottish Premiership alight in the way that Alfredo Morelos has at Rangers, for example.
Former Celtic great John Hartson follows a similar line of thinking: “Odsonne Edouard is a funny player,” he wrote in his Evening Times column. “I don’t think you can criticise a guy who has netted 18 goals this season and has got you out of jail twice with last minute goals in recent weeks, but I do think there is an element of frustration about him at times too.
“He has pace, he has strength, he can score, he does have all the tools to really be a first-class striker. But I just keep thinking that there is so much still to come from him. There is an element of frustration to watching him sometimes because you just feel that if he tidied up one or two aspects of his game then he would be a really serious player for Celtic.”
The Welshman has hit the nail on the head, here. Edouard has produced fine statistics this season, 18 goals and seven assists, but there’s no doubt that he could have done more.
It’s up to new manager Neil Lennon, now, to try and get more out of him. Rodgers squeezed plenty out of the youngster, but you feel there is a little bit more in the bottle ready to be unleashed.
It’s about consistency for the striker. He tends to make a game-changing impact off the bench or bag a couple of goals in a Celtic rout, but he can’t quite be relied upon for production week in week out just yet. He still goes quiet at times.
Whether Lennon will be able to take his game to the next level remains to be seen but, as Hartson says, if Edouard can iron out a couple of issues then he could be a real star.