BRENDAN RODGERS is adamant Odsonne Edouard hasn’t changed, despite Celtic splashing a club record £9million for the French ace in the summer.
The 20-year-old attacker impressed the Hoops boss during his season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain and that prompted the Irishman into making the switch to the champions permanent.
Edouard has hit the ground running in the pre-season games and he scored the club’s first competitive goal of the campaign when he rifled in a first-time effort against Alashkert in the 3-0 win in Armenia just over a fortnight ago.
The exciting youngster has caught the attention, but Rodgers believes that the striker’s price-tag has made observers view him from a fresh perspective.
He said: “I’ve always thought he’s been at a good level. There were different eyes looking at him in different ways.
“Odsonne’s at the level he was at last year, but sometimes when you come in as a £9million or £10million player, all of a sudden people think you’re something different.
“He isn’t. He’s the same boy people were asking me last year why he was playing. Exact same. Great mover, finding space, running in behind, scoring and creating goals. Exact same.
“What he has now is a confidence. He is here as a permanent player and he is a young player who has a lot of development and a lot of talent.”
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