Olivier Ntcham has established himself as a star player in Celtic's trophy-laden side of the last two seasons.
But the former France under-21 international midfielder was actually close to joining Sunderland a couple of years prior to his move to Parkhead.
Former Celtic defender Mo Camara was working as a scout for Sunderland and he has revealed he tried to convince Sunderland to sign the former Manchester City and Genoa man.
"I've watched Odsonne Edouard and he's a very good player, a good prospect for the future," Camara told the Glasgow Times.
"I know Olivier Ntcham, too. When I was at Le Havre he was a very, very young player there.
"When I was scouting for Sunderland I watched him three or four times and I actually told Sunderland to sign him.
"He's a very good player, it was sad that it didn't quite work out for him in Italy but he's a quality player. He can play different positions, in the centre and on the wing if needed, so I like him.
"I think, at the moment, Edouard and Ntcham are still in the right place to improve their game. Edouard for the past few years now has scored a lot of goals for Celtic and he's been on top in the last couple of years compared to Ntcham.
"But I think sometimes players go to the Premier League too soon. At Celtic they play in Europe, they compete for trophies."
