The Celtic striker believes the opportunities he’s had since his friend and compatriot left have been beneficial to his development.
Dembele left the Hoops in controversial circumstances at the end of the 2018 summer transfer window, appearing to force through a move to Ligue 1 side Lyon (The Guardian).
Now flourishing in his homeland, the striker left quite the legacy for Edouard to live up to. He had become an integral part of Brendan Rodgers’ squad, scoring an impressive 51 goals in two seasons.
Since then though, Edouard has gone from strength to strength, firmly positioning himself as the club’s number one striker.
Asked if the Dembele exit put pressure on his shoulders, the young Frenchman told The Scottish Sun: “It doesn’t feel like it added pressure to me.
“When Moussa left, it just gave me more playing time, more chances to play for the team — and that gave me more opportunity to show what I could do. That’s the natural way to look at it.
“We are lucky this season to have three good strikers now, all in form and no injury problems.”
A similar path?
Edouard has been rather relentlessly compared to Dembele since the recent international break, when his four goals in two matches for the French U21s side appeared to demonstrate he was the striker’s natural replacement at that age level.
The comparison are almost unavoidable. It really wouldn’t be a surprise to one day see Edouard leave the Hoops in a blockbuster deal, potentially even back to France like Dembele.
Right now though Celtic fans can be comfortable enjoying Edouard while he still plays in Scotland.
He doesn’t appear to be in any rush to leave and has even talked up how much he loves playing in the country for the Hoops.
It will take a seriously motivated buying club to change all that.
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