Celtic have not been at their best this season and John Collins has not been impressed with the club’s recruiting strategy.
Photo of Ian MacNicol /.
John Collins has questioned Odsonne Edouard’s pace of work during a season in which the Frenchman has been repeatedly linked to a departure from the club.
Collins, who spent six years in midfield for Celtic and later served as an assistant manager under Ronny Deila, also believes Scott Brown should have been replaced.
Edouard has been linked to players like Arsenal, Tottenham, West Ham and Juventus, with the Daily Mail estimating his value at £ 35 million.
The 23-year-old is expected to move on at the end of the season, but remains in Glasgow for now and scored in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Motherwell at Celtic Park.
Photo of Ian MacNicol /.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland’s Sportsound, Collins said: “Edouard, I wanted to go in the summer.
“Anyone who has seen Celtic at the beginning of the season will have seen a player who was not motivated, who was not running and pushing the midfields and the wings.
“The recruitment has not been good enough.”
On the Celtic Brown captain, who played with Collins at Hibs, the former Scottish international said: “I am a huge fan of him.
Photo of Ian MacNicol /.
“I sold it to Celtic when I was manager of Hibs, they have been a great server.
But at 35, he should have been replaced.
“I was 35 years old and it occurred to me too. The brain says one thing, but the legs don’t cross the field.
Edouard has scored 16 goals in 27 appearances this season, but until recent weeks his form has been uneven.
Celtic are next in action on Wednesday night when they face St Mirren in Paisley. A win over Jim Goodwin’s men would narrow the Rangers’ gap at the top of the Premiership to 18 points.
In other news, ‘Wits happened to us’: Celtic fans in dispute over images of the emotional Rangers star
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