In tonight’s 2-0 victory over St Johnstone, we saw the return of one Odsonne Edouard, and boy was he in the mood.
The striker hasn’t been seen since his dazzling cameo performance against Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The big Frenchman has since been suffering from injury, and has missed the last month of action.
But tonight, when he came on for the similarly impressive Oliver Burke after the hour, he looked like he’d never been away.
The 14-goal Hoops striker played like he had a point to prove tonight. Dropping deep and constantly looking to link-up play, there was no selfishness in Edouard’s play. In its place was a glowing confidence that saw him look even quicker with the ball at his feet.
On several occasions, the £9million signing blew Saints defenders away with his tricky footwork. He even came close to scoring after wriggling past two defenders before being denied by Zander Clark.
So much has been made of the arrivals of both Timothy Weah and Burke. Yet, this is a return that could be just as vital to eight-in-a-row.
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Edouard’s talents over the last month have almost been forgotten about. In the shadow of the excitement of Weah’s arrival, the big man has a fight on his hands. Competition for his striking position has just grown, and he looked like he was up to the task of defending it tonight.
The only thing missing for the forward tonight was a goal. But if he keeps putting in displays like he did against St Johnstone, he’ll be adding to the 14 goals consistently between now and the end of the season.
Whether Edouard will be given the chance to strike up a partnership with Weah remains to be seen. The American has already voiced his approval for it, and tonight we saw a glimpse of it to an extent.
Weah was brought on as a substitute late in the second-half, and took up Scott Sinclair’s position down the left. Considering Brendan Rodgers only likes to play with one up front, it’s doubtful we’ll see a two-striker combination often.
But, regardless, Edouard’s return tonight is a huge moment in Celtic’s season. And, in fairness to the big striker, he looks hungry to defend his place as Celtic’s number one striker.