MOUSSA DEMBELE last night showed his Celtic teammates Leigh Griffiths, James Forrest, Craig Gordon and club captain Scott Brown how to beat the English.
Indeed the on fire Celtic striker almost managed the task single handedly by scoring in each half to end England U21’s 15 match unbeaten run at the Stade Robert Bobin in Bondoufle.
Dembele leveled the score on the 18th minute after Sunderland’s Duncan Watmore had put the visitors ahead in the early stages. The Celtic striker ran through to collect a and fire a powerful drive past Jonathan Mitchell in the English goals.
An impressive free kick by the former Fulham striker on the 64th minute put France ahead – and what a goal it was too! Both sides scored again to give France a 3-2 victory and afterwards everyone was talking about one player – Celtic star Moussa Dembele.
Not that the English media are referring to the player in this way today. He has become, in the eyes of the Daily Mail, the Manchester United and Chelsea target Moussa Dembele.
Not since a young Charlie Nicholas broke into the Celtic side at the start of the 1980’s has Celtic had such a top young striker. He literally has the world at his feet.
Celtic can look forward to breaking the transfer record for Scotland when the player does eventually move on but hopefully that will not be for at least another year and a half. That would take Dembele halfway through his Celtic contract and would allow the club to receive a huge windfall after such an impressive piece of early transfer business by Brendan Rodgers in the summer. The story that Moussa was signing for Celtic was broken, not by the MSM, but by CQN.
One player who has done it all in English football is Celtic’s veteran defender Kolo Toure. Having played for more than a decade at the top of the English game for Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool Kolo has played with and against the best players who have graced that league including the likes of Tierre Henry.
And Toure reckons that Dembele is on track to be France’s next superstar footballer.
“I see him as the next star of the French team,” Toure said.
He’s a great player and a great talent. What reinforces it even more is his mentality. I spent some extraordinary moments with him. He’s listening a lot. He doesn’t say too much but when he speaks, it is precise. “
Brendan Rodgers has previously complimented Dembele’s agent on the strategic decision he took to bring the player to Glasgow rather than places like Tottenham, so that he could demonstrate his talents in an exciting footballing environment at Celtic Park, particularly in the Champions League. Manchester City found out just how much a goal threat the player in during that memorable 3-3 draw in Glasgow, which was possibly the best match so far in this season’s Champions League.
Toure would go along with his manager’s assessment on the good advice that the young French striker is receiving.
“Dembele is very well surrounded, he has an agent with him who took him when he was very young and who is ready to break everything for him, he is concentrated in training, he does not have the big head despite being young, I’m really impressed. “
For Celtic fans, eager to get back to club football after enduring another international break, it will be about enjoying Dembele while he’s here.
For the player this morning, it might be about winding up his Scottish teammates who didn’t quite manage to get the better of the English last Friday night.
And for those old enough to remember here’s a poser. A 20 year old Charlie Nicholas or Moussa Dembele?
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
