Long-term Celtic foe Barry Ferguson has shown a bit of class and bigged up the Hoops’ Odsonne Edouard.
French Eddy has started the season in sensational form for France under-21s, bagging nine goals in just four outings. Five of those strikes have come in crucial Euro 2021 qualification matches against Azerbaijan and Slovakia respectively.
Celtic fans have always known the talent that Edouard has. The Frenchman now has 42 goals in 98 matches for the Hoops, but it’s not just his sensational goal-return that makes him a player. He has an array of incredible traits that include ridiculously gifted technique and composure. There’s a reason he’s known as a big-game player.
And, to further underline that fact, even former Rangers captain Ferguson can’t seem to find a putdown for him. Speaking on PLZ Soccer yesterday, Ferguson even went as far as to say he deserves a senior call-up with Les Blues.
“Yeah, he’s a player that could potentially be better than Dembele. I have said that a number of times. I’ve always been impressed. When he is on his game I think he is unstoppable at times.
“He obviously continues it when he goes away with the French U-21 squad and if he keeps producing performances like that he will be in the first-team squad.”
Can’t get carried away too soon, but Edouard is on the right track
Unfortunately for Edouard, he plays in the one position you could argue France don’t really need strengthening in.
At the moment, he has the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, and Blaise Matuidi ahead of him to name a few. That’s not even including Moussa Dembele either, who has to be ranked ahead of Eddy for now.
But what this is for Edouard is a start. If he continues to score goals at competitive tournaments for the under-21 side, it will be extremely difficult for France to ignore him.
Then again, he has to get to the level of the players ahead of him before he could justify inclusion. That’s not going to be easy, and it could also take a bit of time too. Edouard has the world at his feet, but it’s important he doesn’t start getting things too quickly.
He still has plenty to learn at international level. His goal-rate so far is absolutely incredible, but there’s always a dry spell. How he performs during that will also be key for his chances with France.
But it shows how well he’s doing when even those who can’t stand us can’t bring themselves to find a way to put them down. Ferguson is a master at seeing positives for Rangers and negatives for Celtic. But when it comes to French Eddy, even he can’t find an argument against him.
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