Edouard tipped to take a leap against Leipzig
Scott Sinclair is backing Celtic’s £9-million man, Odsonne Edouard, to deliver a Euro dividend against RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on Thursday night.
The Hoops shelled out the club record fee for the 20-year-old Frenchman to Paris Saint-germain in the summer following his successful loan spell with them last season.
And after something of a dry spell in September, he has been showing the kind of scoring form that persuaded the Scottish champions to make their investment.
So while Leipzig represents a tougher test than he usually encounters, Sinclair is convinced his team-mate is up to it.
“With Moussa Dembele gone and Leigh Griffiths not available there’s a lot resting on Odsonne’s shoulders,” he said.
“But he’s been fantastic since he came here. “He’s scored goals and played really well for someone so young. He’s getting more experience every time he plays for Celtic.
“Odsonne’s quite a quiet guy and he’s still learning English. He can only speak the basics right now.
“Despite that, he’s a funny character and a good guy to have around the squad.
“To be playing for Celtic every week at his age will be great for his progression.
“And he’s the man for big occasions like Thursday night.
“It will be tough, but we need to go into it 100% and with Odsonne having scored against Dundee, he will have the confidence to go out and get more.”
An £8 million transfer himself when he switched to Manchester City from Swansea back in 2012, Sinclair shrugs off suggestions the size of Edouard’s fee was a factor in his dry spell.
“I don’t think Odsonne even thinks about his price tag. As a player, it doesn’t bother you how much you’ve been bought for,” he said.
“You just work hard in training then give it your all in every game.
“Odsonne’s a goalscorer, he’s shown that already. But he’s only young so he’s still maturing as a player. Thankfully, he’s really contributing to the team. “Hopefully, he can help us get the win we need to keep us in the hunt in our group.”