Celtic defender Christopher Jullien admits he was certain Odsonne Edouard would grab the winner against Aberdeen.
The £7million summer arrival from Toulouse has revealed he told his compatriot at the break that a winning goal was coming in the second half of the keenly-fought Premiership clash at Parkhead.
Edouard was dangerous from the first minute and only a combination of Dons keeper Joe Lewis and last-gasp defending kept him off the scoresheet during the opening 45 minutes.
But the France U21 international's determination paid off as he coolly slotted home the crucial goal in the 2-1 victory which keeps Celtic five clear at the top.
Jullien admits he was on hand to give the club's main man, who he took for a cryotheraphy session last week, a half-time pep talk.
He told Celtic TV : “I was the first to say to Odsonne at half-time, ‘You’re going to score, don’t worry!’.
“He’s been just unbelievable since the start of the season, and even before I came to Celtic. We know he’s a threat and if he keeps getting chances, we know he’s going to score a lot of goals.
“For me, and I told him at the end of the game, he probably should have had five or six goals. But he knows that. He’s a great striker, he knows his strengths and we really trust in him.
“He’s just Odsonne! He’s like that in real life, and on the field, he just does what he does best. He’s one of the best strikers I’ve played with in the final third, and his left-foot finish, after all the chances he had before, to keep that mental strength and know he’s going to score again, is good for us.”
