ODSONNE A CERT TO HIT PEAK FORM

Lennon backs Frenchman to shrug off speculation and silence his detractors

DETERMINED to keep calm and carry on, Neil Lennon knows there is only so much he can do to block out the noise and hysteria which follows every movement of his star man. The problem for the Celtic manager, of course, is that supporters — fully fixated on their team in this potential 10-in-a-row season — don’t need a second invitation to crank up the heat when performances are not to their liking.

And so it continues. The curious case of Odsonne Edouard. In the blink of an eye, he can change a game and cause chaos for any opposition. But when displays are distinctly average? Cue drama.

Laboured in Latvia on Thursday, Edouard just wasn’t at it. For a 22-year-old with his reputation, that is rarely acceptable.

He wasn’t alone, mind you. For all of Celtic’s domination in possession, it took Edouard’s 82nd-minute replacement, Mohamed Elyounoussi, to strike a late goal to defeat Riga FC in their Europa League third-round qualifier.

‘I wasn’t happy with some of the narratives after the game in terms of headlines where we “toiled” and “scraped through” — we didn’t,’ claimed Lennon.

Indeed, while the manager was pleased his team completed the job, he also recognises Edouard (right) didn’t hit the heights previously witnessed.

An unused sub in last week’s 3-2 win over Livingston in the league, the Frenchman returned to the pitch in Europe but, once again, caused tongues to wag.

For all the criticism aimed in Edouard’s direction, Lennon stressed he wants people to see the bigger picture ahead of today’s home league encounter with Hibs.

‘He’s a human being, at the end of the day — he’s 22,’ said the manager. ‘We know what a talent he is.

‘He didn’t have the best of games but we know what we’ve got with Odsonne. He’s a quality player.

‘We don’t want him to go obviously and we have had no significant interest in him as yet. There’s always a bit of agitation when the windows open but, speaking to him, he seems content enough. He didn’t have his best of games, but that’s fine.’

The transfer deadline is set for October 5 and it promises to be a restless time. Everton, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Leicester are among the clubs linked with interest in the France Under-21 international.

Celtic’s exit from Champions League qualification this season only added to speculation Edouard might not stick around to see if Celtic can clinch 10 in a row.

Amid all the noise, Lennon is hoping for a peaceful few weeks in terms of ins and outs at the club.

Asked about this transfer window being hard as managers try to complete business amid Covid-19 uncertainty, Lennon said: ‘Yeah, but we knew that coming into it and I’m not exclusive to that. A lot of managers will be in the same position. ‘You get to take a deep breath after October 5 and look forward to the rest of the season or at least

until January. ‘I am hoping it will be pretty quiet. We would like to get another player in, one more if we can and I would be absolutely delighted if that’s going to be the outcome, but I can’t predict what’s going to happen one way or the other.’ This promises to be a hectic week for Celtic. Thursday’s Europa League play-off against FK Sarajevo in Bosnia is sandwiched between league encounters with Hibs and St Johnstone.

Facing his former club today, Lennon is expecting a difficult time of it against Jack Ross’s men after their 2-2 draw with Rangers in Leith last weekend. ‘It has been a heavy schedule and it’s a difficult game on Sunday against Hibs, who are playing very well this season and had a good result last weekend,’ said Lennon. ‘They will be buoyed by that.

‘I know a lot of the players and they are good players at this level, they have a very good manager and have made a great start to the season. It’s a game to get our teeth into and look forward to.

‘He (Ross) has done a cracking job and they have recruited well. He’s got players who were maybe underperforming previously playing with a bit of confidence and scoring goals, which you expect from a Hibs team.

‘When their tails are up, they are a handful for anybody.’

Lennon retains fond memories from his time in the Hibs hotseat, arriving from crisis-hit Bolton to replace Alan Stubbs in 2016 after he had guided them to Scottish Cup glory.

‘I loved it,’ said Lennon, who guided Hibs back to the Premiership. ‘The players were great, the club was great. We had two great seasons.

‘It was difficult to maintain that but I really enjoyed the players there. Off the back of winning the Scottish Cup, you could see there was some real talent there.’ Lennon expects winger James Forrest to sit out today’s match after bruising his ankle against Riga and admits he could miss Scotland’s Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Israel on October 8. Asked if he thought Forrest is a serious doubt for that Hampden clash, Lennon said: ‘Yes, I do. We’ll just have to wait and see how it reacts and settles. From my own knowledge of it, it can take a few weeks to settle down. He was in a lot of pain when he came off.’