Ex-Celtic striker John Hartson believes that Odsonne Edouard wanted to leave the Hoops before the start of the season.

The likes of Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Arsenal were mentioned as possible destinations for the France Under 21 international and Hartson thinks the player’s failure to secure a move away from the Scottish champions has had a detrimental impact on his form:

“I think he might have had his heart set on leaving in the summer. He will have seen that as a bit of a blow. Having to get his mind right again, face another season with Celtic . . . it’s maybe affected him slightly. But it was a difficult one for Celtic. They needed him for ten in a row.”

It does seem as though Edouard’s head has been turned. Manager Neil Lennon admitted last month that the 22-year-old was affected by the speculation surrounding his future but the player himself has never signalled his intention to leave the club.

With just nine goals in 19 appearances, the striker’s drop off in form has been quite steep. It remains to be seen how patient Lennon will be if there is no significant upturn in his performances over the next few weeks as Celtic reach a critical stage of the season.