Some Celtic fans will be reassured to know that forgotten man Eboue Kouassi is alive and well.
The Ivorian midfielder was pictured in training on Tuesday as his teammates gear up for the visit of Lazio on Thursday night. Kouassi won’t be making his long awaited return in that match though as he’s not been included in Neil Lennon’s squad for the group stage.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see that the former Krasnodar man was coping well with the rigours of the modern game.
Kouassi has had a nightmare at Celtic
The most recent of Kouassi’s 22 appearances for the club arrived almost a year ago to the day – in the Betfred Cup semi-final against Hearts. He was a bizarre starter at Murrayfield that day but went off midway through the first-half and hasn’t been seen on the pitch since.
Brendan Rodgers threw him in at the deep end that day but his general affection for Eboue signalled that he rated him highly. He also said as much in a, now infamous, interview from early 2018.
Rodgers told the Daily Record: “Eboue was brought in and he plays a specific role – the Scott Brown role. It just so happens he’s the captain, who’s been brilliant.
“It’s been difficult. Browny is one I’ve taken out the odd time and got Eboue in but there’s really no doubt that he hasn’t played enough games.
“But it’s not because of him, it’s because of the form of our captain. Eboue’s brilliant in training, he does everything, and longer term he will certainly fulfil that role when Scott moves on.”
It’s therefore a little bit of a surprise that Neil Lennon, a holding midfielder in his day, has chosen not to play the Ivory Coast international a single time since he took the reigns in February. Yes, Eboue has had injury troubles, but they can’t account for all of his failings.
Sadly it looks like the 21-year-old’s days at the club are numbered. And he will go down as another horrific Rodgers/Congerton signing.
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