Moussa is Hoops grass act
Rodgers heaps praise on Edouard but says new pitch is game changer
Brendan Rodgers last night hailed the impact of £9m “class act” Odsonne Edouard but says Celtic’s new hybrid pitch could be his signing of the summer.
The Parkhead gaffer has praised the Hoops board
for splashing out on the new £1.5m surface.
Hoops players got their first experience of it yesterday in a 4-1 friendly win over Belgian outfit Standard Liege.
Rodgers insists the new pitch can make his Double Treble winners even better.
He said: “I’ve been crying out
for a new pitch here for a long time and when you see the speed of it, it’s great for us.
“Our identity and purpose is to be fast, dynamic, aggressive. When you have a really fast pitch it supports that way of playing.”
Rodgers was delighted with the performance against the Belgians as his players took advantage of the new surface.
Edouard grabbed the opener and Moussa Dembele, Callum McGregor and Mikey Johnston were also on the scoresheet.
The boss said: “Our football was exciting and Edouard is a class act. He links it all together and his goal was a fantastic finish.
“Standard just missed out on winning the Belgian league but our fluency, speed and crispness of our game was outstanding.
“It might be scary for others because you saw the difference against Standard when you have a quality playing surface.”
Rodgers praised the Celtic board for forking out the cash for the new pitch which has been a work in progress for two years.
He said: “It was a £1.5million investment but the board, players and fans will all be rewarded. The pitch supports our work. It’s a credit to the club and the groundstaff.”
Rodgers said last night that he still hopes to strengthen his squad – but admitted Celtic’s bid for John McGinn was now out of his hands.
Hibs have rejected a £2m offer for their star asset and Celtic are considering a new approach.
But Rodgers said: “Between Neil and I, it’s out of our hands. It’s with the clubs. Hopefully it can be resolved but it’s above me.
“I’d liked to have had more players in by now. We need to strengthen – but only specific areas. It’s not a total overhaul.”