Eboue Kouassi hasn’t left a big impression on Celtic fans, but he has on one player.
Hearts midfielder Harry Cochrane has told The Scotsman that Celtic’s Eboue Kouassi is the toughest player he has come up against in his burgeoning career.
Celtic signed the Ivorian midfielder from Krasnodar in January of 2017.
But Kouassi has been anything but a success story with the Hoops, managing only 12 Premiership appearances in two-and-a-half years in Glasgow.
He hasn’t left a major impression on the Parkhead faithful, but it seems he has with Cochrane, who told The Scotsman that he’s never faced a tougher opponent to date.
He said: “So, my toughest game was against Eboue Kouassi. I only lasted 30 minutes in that game before I was sent to the hospital but I just couldn’t get near him that night.
“I don’t know why that was, I just couldn’t get near him and that was a big lesson. It shows you where you need to get to.
The game that the 18-year-old is referring to came at Parkhead in January of 2018, with Craig Levein’s side losing 3-1.
Cochrane was substituted after 38 minutes following a crunching challenge from Celtic captain Scott Brown which resulted in him going to hospital.
It’s an odd admission by Cochraine, given Kouassi’s general struggles, but perhaps the youngster has shed some light on how good the Celtic man – absent since October with injury – could be.
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