Neil Lennon explained Odsonne Edouard’s absence from his starting eleven after the 3-2 win over Livingston and revealed that Celtic have received no bids or firm interest in signing his French talisman, confirming that Edouard is NOT for sale.
“He was away with France recently and played two 90 minutes with them. He had missed the previous three games for us before that,” Lenny said to the media after the 3-2 win over Livingston, watch below.
“I spoke to him on Friday and he was struggling so you have to look after the player. Hopefully he will be fresh for Thursday which is a very important game for us.
“He is not causing any problems behind the scenes. He was honest enough to say he was struggling and I take his word on that.”
Edouard was an unused substitute and should be back and in the team that will face Riga on Thursday evening in the vital Europe League qualifier. And as far as the recent transfer speculation linking Edouard with a £30million move to Arsenal, the Celtic manager dismissed that as mere speculation.
“We do not want to sell. We have had no bids or confirmed interest in him. I am hoping come the end of the window he will still be a Celtic player. He is not for sale. A lot of this rumbling behind the scene is speculation just now,” Lennon said.
“There is a contingency and there will be a lot of talk about Odsonne. We just want him fit and ready for Thursday.”
Despite a scoreline that flattered the visitors, Lenny was happy with his side’s performance in the 3-2 win over Livingston that saw Celtic go top of the league, just a few weeks after we were warned that the Rangers could be 11 points clear.
“I thought the performance was better. The only disappointment was the second goal. We made it too easy for them. It just means there is a little bit of trepidation in the last ten minutes.
“I would have liked a few more goals but the three we scored were brilliant. The reaction to going a goal down was really good and I was pleased.
“We are in a good position now at the top of the league and it is a big week for us. We still have a bit of work to do and we are missing the fans.
“We scored three crackimg goals and there was nothing. It is a little bit different.
“Overall I am pleased to be top of the league.”
