Brendan Rodgers has rejected claims that Odsonne Edouard is struggling under the weight of expectation of leading Celtic’s line on his own.

The 20-year-old became the club’s record signing this summer when the Parkhead side paid £9 to sign him on a permanent deal from PSG after a successful loan stint last term.

Edouard has netted 13 goals in all competitions for Celtic this term but with Leigh Griffiths out for an indefinite period of time, the onus is on the youngster to be the sole focus up front.

His situation was not helped by the time of Moussa Dembele’s departure on the final day of the season but for Rodgers there has been an unfair weight on the player throughout his time at Celtic.

“The kid has been questioned since day one since he came in,” said Rodgers. “But just look at his goals record. Look at his goals and assists and his starts.

“He is young, he is 20, he is still improving and developing.

“But he is a brilliant talent and he has performed in a lot of big games for us. So he is just getting his rhythm, playing a lot of big games.

“Ideally we would want to be able to give him a breather and change from one up, but we don’t have the squad to do that unfortunately.

“He is a very good team player, that’s what is important. He is not a player who is self interested.

“He is worried about the team and that’s all that worries me. He is fine [coping with being the main striker], that’s why he is here.

“He wants to develop and get better.”

Celtic head to Easter Road tomorrow afternoon looking to put Europe on the backburner as they return their focus to the domestic campaign.

Having got their noses in front at the top of the table, Rodgers will look now for his side to kick on before the curtain comes down on the season for the midwinter break.

With European participation secured there is another layer of intrigue to Celtic’s season but the immediate concern is maintaining recent domestic form.

And that could mean one or two changes to recent personnel as Rodgers looks at the volume of games that still lie ahead. Callum McGregor has been involved in every one of Celtic’s games this season while there are others such as James Forrest and Kieran Tierney who have had very little downtime.

It remains to be seen what the extent of the injuries to Mikael Lustig and Ryan Christie are but there could be a few fresh legs to start the game in Leith.

“We will just assess it,” said Rodgers. “We will have a look at it tomorrow with the staff and get a feel for where the players are at.

“They have put in a huge effort for a long period of time now and I think we still have 20 games left.

“This is a huge lift for us though [getting into the Europa League last 32]. The overall picture is that we’ve qualified, it’s a great achievement and, like I say, the players will feel confident.

“We don’t feel like celebrating now because we lost the game, but the bigger picture was that we got through. I’m really pleased.”

The expectation is that Christie will find himself sidelined after leaving Celtic Park on crutches on Thursday evening.

“It looked a sore one,” said Rodgers. “I saw him down there in the distance on crutches when I was doing an interview, so it’s a shame for him because he has been in incredible form and rhythm.

“He’s a huge loss to us but we will assess it and see how the damage is in the next couple of days.

“He has been a very important player.

“We’ve found that with important players, we lose them. But it happens, we have got to deal with it.”

One player who could be back front and centre is Scott Brown.

The Celtic captain missed a chunk of games following a hamstring and knee problem but found that in his absence the Parkhead side had found a fluency and energy. It meant he had to settle for a place on the bench in recent games but his influence was called upon on Thursday night as Celtic found themselves overrun in the middle of the park.

“The team has been in great form so it has been difficult for him to get in,” reflected Rodgers. “It does not take away what he gives the team, and the qualities and what he shows for me everyday. I know his qualities and what he brings. It’s the reason we needed him at half time.”

Tom Rogic had a night to forget against Salzburg.

One of the reliable member of Rodgers’ squad in terms of offering something in terms of creativity and conjuring a goal from nothing, the midfielder seemed off the pace against the Austrians.

And Rodgers believes the quality of the opposition denied Rogic the time he finds on the ball in a domestic sense.

“That’s a part of his game he will improve and develop,” said the Celtic manager. “When the game is a bit quicker you are not always going to have time to know where your space is and play a bit quicker.

“He knows that’s something he needs to work on but he still fought and ran and put his body on the line and of course that’s eventually when gets you through a long game. I think we lost to the best team in the group, there is no shame in that.

“We can be better of course, but over six games we’ve finished second which I’m so happy about.”