Celtic were absolutely riveting to watch on Saturday as they overwhelmed Motherwell by clinching a 5-1 win in the Scottish Premiership fixture at the Celtic Park, thanks to Odsonne Edouard’s hat-trick and a brace by James Forrest. Elliott Fear’s consolation goal for the Steelmen hardly mattered as the Celts went riot and unarguably, the player who made his presence felt the most was Paris Saint-Germain’s loanee, Edouard.
Edouard was signed by the Glasgow giants in the summer on loan from PSG and showed his ruthless predatory instincts inside the box. The availability of two quality strikers in the shapes of Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele had made the youngster wait for some time to make a mark and he grabbed the opportunity he was rendered by manager Brendan Rodgers with open arms this weekend.
Rodgers, in fact, went on to admit that there might be a possibility of signing him permanently at the end of his loan deal and such a revelation might enhance the morale of Edouard considerably. The Frenchman emerged through the youth ranks of AF Bobigny and PSG and was sent out on loan by the French heavyweights to brush himself further by accumulating more game time on the pitch.
Hat-trick against Motherwell showed that he does have the requisite talent and should be given more chances to excel. Edouard is a modern-day forward who keeps things mobile in the final third with his involvement in his side’s attacking movements. With his daunting height and notable strength, he is generally found to be very good in the air and has raw pace in his legs as well.
Besides, the 19-year-old runs at the defenders more often than not and tries to find a way to breach the defence of the opposition. He controls the ball really well, holds the ball in an astute manner in the final third and brings his teammates into the equation. Moreover, his techniques are quite appealing and no wonder why his stocks are so highly rated back in France.
The Bhoys might currently have the luxury of having Dembele in their books at this stroke of the hour but he is someone who is seemingly likely to be lured to a mega-club of Europe pretty soon. Celtic won the domestic treble last season and are currently at the top of Scottish Premiership table with 37 points to their name after 15 games and someone like Edouard has the potential to meet their present and future needs.
