NEIL Lennon was delighted with Odsonne Edouard’s impact in Celtic’s win over Ross County today (Saturday) and the Celtic manager believes the French forward, who hit a double in the game, is playing better than ever.

The Hoops took all three points with a 3-0 win over the Highland side, who were difficult opponents throughout the 90 minutes. Edouard’s introduction as a second half substitute helped turn the game around, with the Frenchman hitting his double in the space of four minutes.

“The impact Odsonne made when he came on was huge,” said Neil Lennon. “The game really opened up and I thought we could have scored a few more towards the end. In the context of the season, it’s a brilliant win and keeps the momentum going.

“Odsonne had an x-ray for his toe and his foot was in a boot. He did a fitness session last night and said it felt a lot better. We were concerned he wouldn’t do the 90 minutes. It’s worked out okay, he looked fresh and had an incredible impact on the team when he came on. That shows the qualities he has, and he should be okay for Wednesday.

“It’s very reassuring to have him come off the bench because he’s a class player. You could see the lift he gave the team as well and the second goal was a great finish. It was a matter of when to bring him on and I think we got the timing just about right.”

Edouard’s two goals takes his tally to 20 for the season in all competitions. Neil Lennon said he was pleased with the goal records of many of his forward players and added he believed Edouard was on top of his game at a crucial point in the season.

“He’s playing better than ever so I’m delighted with that,” he said. “I’m delighted with the goal tallies for a lot of the players. Odsonne, Christie and Forrest are all well into double figures and I think that was Callum McGregor’s eighth goal of the season.

“We’re racking up the goals which is really important. The most important thing is we won and we have a five-point cushion at the minute.”

Neil Lennon hails sensational Edouard after win over Ross County