IT will come as no surprise to Celtic fans to know that Odsonne Edouard is immune to pressure. Nevertheless, it is comforting to hear it come from the man himself, especially with the business end of the season approaching.

The French striker’s focus is resolute and he believes the best is yet to come, thanks to his thriving partnership with Leigh Griffiths.

Supporters and media pundits alike have quickly run out of superlatives to describe Edouard’s form this season. The 22-year-old’s consistency has been incredible and his displays on the pitch sensational.

The latest reward for his performances was the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Month Award for January, while his double against Motherwell at Fir Park on February 5 saw him take his goal tally to 24 for the season so far, surpassing the 22 he bagged for the whole of the 2018/19 campaign.

Having scored seven goals so far in 2020, the Frenchman has started the second half of the season in sensational form, just as the pressure around the title race heats up.

However, the ever-cool Edouard hasn’t allowed any talk of pressure to affect him, and his demeanour and outlook on football has long served as something of a mental shield against anything that could negatively impact on other professionals.

“For me, nothing has changed,” said Edouard in an exclusive interview with this week’s Celtic View. “It’s just football and I enjoy it. I’m in a good place just now and I’m enjoying playing.

“I am happy with how many goals I have been scoring and I want to improve on that in each game. I have a target that I want to hit, but I keep that a secret.”

One thing that has changed in recent weeks has been the addition of Leigh Griffiths alongside Edouard and the pair have scored 11 goals between them since the team returned to competitive action following the winter break.

Having spent the majority of his time at Celtic as a lone striker, the change could have required some time to adjust to, but the pair have formed an instant bond on the pitch. And Edouard is full of praise for his strike partner.

“The partnership with Leigh feels natural,” said Edouard. “When we play together you can see there’s a natural understanding. We haven’t had to work at building an understanding, it’s just been there from the start.

“We don’t need to constantly talk to one another during games, it’s just the football. We know what area to be in and where to play the ball to each other, so it’s easy to play with him.

“We worked together a little bit in Dubai in training. The manager wanted to see how it would work in a game, so we worked on it in Dubai. The first game we tried it was in the Scottish Cup against Partick Thistle and it worked well so we’ve continued to use it since then.

“It’s been good. In the past I’ve played up front alone or with a striking partner, it just depends on how the manager wants to play, but I’m really enjoying having another striker next to me to work with.

“Leigh’s a good player and knows how to work for the team. He has good movement, he can keep the ball and can play one-touch very quickly. He has a good left foot and is just a complete player. He has good quality and is a good finisher.”

For the full interview with Odsonne Edouard, see this week’s Celtic View, out now.

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Odsonne Edouard on the twin strike force in this week’s Celtic View