Odsonne Edouard hails Kolo Toure

Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard has revealed the vital role that ex-Ivorian defender Kolo Toure played in helping him settle to life at the club.

The former Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Celtic man retired at the end of the 2016/17 season as he immediately moved into a coaching role under the reign of Brendan Rodgers then at the club.

On his arrival to Celtic from Toulouse, Edouard had a severe spell where he had limited playing time and was far behind the likes of Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths in the striking department.

Being a teenager on loan to a new club an environment, things would have seemed much more comfortable had he favored a move back to the French capital [PSG], but he chose to stay and fight for a place in the team. Celtic now seems to reap the benefits of their patience in the Frenchman as now becomes the focal player in the team all thanks to Kolo Toure.

“Kolo has really helped me a lot; he talks to me like a brother all the time. At the end of the training, i usually spend an extra thirty to forty minutes with him to work more on my abilities. This made me work harder the more as i never gave up, and the most important thing is to grab the chance presented by the manager, which I’m glad i did”. He said.

Following Edouard’s hat trick for the club in December 2017, there was no iota of doubt that the young French forward is now a complete package for the hoops.

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi