Scott Sinclair will get many of the plaudits, but the performance of Oliver Burke against St Johnstone was breathtaking.
Celtic’s number 25 came into today’s game on the back of a goal against Hibernian. But whilst there was to be no Burke goal in the 5-0 mauling of Saints today, he’s surely now secured himself as Celtic’s number one striker.
He’s not a natural forward, but that’s seriously helping the attacker make an impression. He’s explosive, has electric pace, and is extremely productive in the final third.
Against St Johnstone this afternoon, Burke showed those traits once again. It was by far his best outing yet in a Celtic jersey, and he fully deserved a goal that unfortunately never came.
For both of Sinclair’s first two goals, Burke charged down the right flank. Getting to the by-line on both occasions, he first inch-perfect crosses for Sinclair to fire home. The Englishman’s finishes were clinical, but Burke was the catalyst of Sinky’s hat-trick today.
And surely, when you look at the competition for Burke now, he has to be considered the number one forward.
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Odsonne Edouard made another lively cameo today. Supporters will have been delighted to see the Frenchman look so positive after a nasty-looking knock against St Johnstone in Perth.
But the former PSG youth star has a fair bit to go until he’s looking as impactful as Burke. Once he gets some match-sharpness under his belt, then he can look at being valid competition.
Timothy Weah has also made a strong start to life at Celtic. Three goals in seven appearances prove he has an eye for goal. Yet, again, Burke has shown just that little bit more than Weah so far.
Vakoun Issouf Bayo we’ve yet to even see play a minute of football yet. We predicted he would make his debut today, so naturally, he wasn’t even in the squad. He’s going to have to go some way to displace Burke, and he clearly isn’t the first choice.
When it comes to making an impact, you can’t say anyone has done more than Burke. He’s proving to be far too much for Scottish Premiership defences, and Rodgers would be foolish to rock the boat and drop him anytime soon.
The Scotland international has surely confirmed his place for Thursday night against Valencia. After all, what striker should be playing ahead of him on current form?