Cool Edouard will just get better and better for Celts, insists Coyne

FORMER Celtic striker Tommy Coyne reckons Odsonne Edouard must have “ice in his veins” to handle the pressure of leading the line for the Hoops so smoothly.

The 21-year-old Frenchman has scored five goals in nine matches this season to follow his William Hill Scottish Cup double.

The club’s record signing has netted four goals against Rangers and Coyne believes he is getting better and better ahead of Celtic’s trip to Ibrox on Sunday.

“I think he’s fantastic,” said Coyne, who was promoting a fundraising campaign for a new pavilion at the home of his former youth team, Hillwood Football Club in Glasgow.

“For someone who is so young... I went to Celtic at 27 and I felt the pressure then, but at 1920 years of age, he must have ice in his veins.

“His hold-up play is fantastic and I think it’s improving since Neil (Lennon) has come in. I think it is suiting him better, he gets more of the ball, and I think he is going to turn into a fantastic player.

“Any player in the Celtic team playing with such confidence and doing well week in, week out is always going to go to somebody in England and Europe, it’s just a matter of time.

“If the money is right for the club then he will be sold, but until that case I don’t think Celtic will sell him.” LINFIELD captain Jamie Mulgrew has pinpointed the professionalism of pre-season as a key factor behind the club’s remarkable run in Europe.

Mulgrew acknowledges Thursday night’s second leg in the Europa League play-off round against Qarabag in Azerbaijan is the biggest game in Linfield’s history, with so much at stake.

Not only would the Blues bank £4m by reaching the group stages of the competition but the players would go down as Irish League legends and potentially set up glamour fixtures against Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma, Sevilla, Rangers or Celtic.

Inspirational Mulgrew is the longest-serving star at the club and is revelling in the stunning feats being delivered by manager David Healy and the rest of the team.

Today, Linfield set off to Baku on a chartered flight and take a 3-2 first-leg lead with them courtesy of a Mark Stafford goal, a dynamic double from Shayne Lavery and a fantastic team effort.

The Blues are underdogs, but they plan to send Qarabag out the same way as HB Torshavn and FK Sutjeska, even though Mulgrew admits the Azeri champions will be stronger at home.

Asked if Thursday’s game was potentially the biggest the club has played, Mulgrew replied: “If we are realistic, we all know that. We have known once we reached this stage that we had two massive games ahead of us.

“I believe in the second leg they will reach another couple of levels and we have to be prepared for that.

“What we wanted as players, and I know the staff wanted this as well, was to have something to fight for in the second leg.

“At 1-0 down at Windsor it wasn’t looking that way until we recovered. At 3-1 up we had plenty to hold onto. 3-2 makes it more difficult but, at the end of the day, if someone had said beforehand we would win the first leg 3-2 we’d all have laughed.

“That’s where we are and we KRIS Lindsay insists there will be no complacency from Dungannon when they open their bid for League Cup glory against Championship side Dergview in an all-Tyrone clash tonight.

The Swifts were Cup winners in 2018, and are big favourites to progress to the third round — but Lindsay won’t take anything for granted.

While Ally Teggart (suspend