Back in August, Odsonne Edouard left Celtic for Crystal Palace in a deal worth £14m, signing a four-year contract with the Premier League outfit.
Unfortunately, life in south London has been tough for the Frenchman, who has fallen behind Jean-Philippe Mateta in the pecking order.
Now, The Athletic have shed some light on the situation.
What’s the story?
Well, Edouard has been left on the bench six times in Crystal Palace’s last ten Premier League outings – a far cry from hero status at Celtic.
According to The Athletic, it is believed that the 24-year-old’s poor performances in training are the reason behind Vieira’s reluctance to start him.
Edouard has started just 16 of Crystal Palace’s 34 Premier League games this season, with most of those coming at the start of the campaign.
The Eagles No.22 can play on the left of the attack, or in the centre, although Wilfried Zaha has been preferred on the left next to Mateta, with Jordan Ayew and Michael Olise sharing the spot on the right.
Odsonne Edouard must rediscover Celtic form
During his time at Parkhead, some described Edouard as a “lazy” player, and it seems that might actually be true following The Athletic‘s revelation.
With all due respect to the Bhoys, life in the Premier League is a different animal to the Scottish Premiership, and the Frenchman is no longer a big fish in a small pond.
He is competing with quality players such as Zaha, Olise and Eberechi Eze, so if he isn’t putting in the hard graft, you can’t blame Vieira for leaving him out.
However, Edouard scored 86 goals in 179 games for Celtic, so there’s clearly a brilliant player in there – he should not be given up on by any means.
Hopefully, Vieira can ignite an attitude change in his fellow Frenchman, and he can take England’s top-flight by storm next season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
