The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Rodgers says Dembele ready for French senior service
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers believes Moussa Dembele’s brilliant hattrick for France under-21s confirmed the striker was back to his sharpest.
The 21-year-old Hoops hitman scored three times in 12 minutes for Les Bleuets in their 3-1 win over Slovenia in Domzale on Monday night.
Rodgers tipped Dembele to make the step up to the senior squad “in time”, but was for now happy to see him fully recovered from a hamstring injury which kept him out for two months earlier in the season.
Ahead of today’s trip to Ross County, the Northern Irishman said: “It was a case of managing his fitness.
“He needed the time with the injury that he has had and now you see him back to full fitness.
“He took his goals really well, especially the one from outside the box, it was a great finish and it was good to see him finish inside the box – that’s something that he has developed over the last 17 months.
“He is an outstanding talent. There are obviously a lot of talented players that are in the national team already.
“But there is no doubt that he has the belief and the talent to do that (step up).
“He showed that here at Champions League level and I have no doubt that he can make that step, whether it is going to be before the World Cup or not, we shall see.
“He is certainly a big talent and he can do more than what he is doing, scoring goals at club level and for the under-21s and, like you see with other countries, if you can make that step up, which I believe Moussa can, then he has a great future at full international level.”
Celtic’s last game before the international break saw them break their own 100-year-old British record of 62 domestic games without defeat with a 4-0 win over St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.
Kieran Tierney, named Premiership player of the month for October, is looking for that record to be stretched further against the Staggies.
The 20-year-old left-back added: “It will be another tough game for us. They always make it tough for us up there.”