ODSONNE EDOUARD

THERE is a rawness about the French kid at the moment and he is dealing with a lot.

Brendan Rodgers has played him ahead of Dembele and Griffiths on occasion and that places pressure on him instantly because the fans want him to be a straight stand-in and he’s not ready for that yet.

It’s not his fault that the manager has picked him. It’s not him who has jettisoned Dembele and Griffiths. Folk have looked at him as if he’s the son and is only being given a game because his dad is the manager of the team.

What do I see? I see talent in there. Sometimes it seems as though his legs go a little bit faster than his brain because he’s trying to do things too quickly, other times he looks sluggish.

I’m not sure he’s an out-and-out striker at this moment. Like many of the younger generation, that knack of breaking your neck to get across a front post or attack a ball in the six-yard box is lacking.

But most modern strikers are like that. The game has changed. It’s more about link-play and touch.

Edouard might not look like a No.9 when it comes to playing with his back to goal but I do see a real threat when he gets turned and he has an eye for a pass.

The kid is being judged against Dembele and Griffiths and that’s just not fair. If you judge him on his own merits, he’s doing alright and there looks to be potential in there.

His time will come but he should be third in the pecking order.