ARNE ENGELS made sure the joke was on Philippe Clement when they came face to face in the derby encounter at Parkhead.
The £11million record buy made a quickfire debut for the champions when he came on as a second-half substitute as Brendan Rodgers’ side routed their Glasgow foes 3-0 in front of 60,000 celebrating fans.
Before the kick-off, Engels had a brief meeting with the Ibrox gaffer who had been his manager at Club Brugge as the 21-year-old midfielder set out on his career that has seen him land in Scotland via Germany after the deadline-day switch from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg.
HAND IT IT TO THE NEW BHOY…Arne Engels meets the media for the first time.
The Belgian Bhoy smiled as he reflected on a memorable first bow in Paradise and said: “It was nice to see him. Did he say: ‘Good luck, but not too much good luck?’
“Yes, exactly like that! But it’s always a bit joking. He said it was a good step for me. We spoke a bit about our last years together. Of course, he helped me also in my development as a youth player at Brugge. So, he was good for me then.
“But now I am a Celtic player and I will always do everything I can to beat everybody. So, yes, obviously, that is my aim.”
Engels, who made his senior international debut for Belgium in their 3-1 UEFA Nations League win over Israel on Friday, made his Hoops baptism in the 62nd minute as he replaced Paulo Bernardo who had been one of the team’s top performers until he withdrew.
The versatile performer, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “Obviously, the game against Rangers was amazing for me to see the fans and to see the team playing really well.
“You hear a lot and you know that it’s a big, big game and that everybody is looking forward to it.
ONE IN THE EYE…Arne Engels was out of sight in his derby debut.
“So, you know that it’s going to be really hard, but I think the team did amazing and managed to win 3-0 so it was actually a perfect day for us.
“It felt like home, it felt really good to come in so it was really amazing to catch the fans’ attention and to perform. Also, in these kind of games it’s nice to play in if you win.
“I’ve played in a lot of big stadiums in Germany, but here it’s a bit different, it’s really loud and everybody is really on top of the game.
“They are supporting and pushing us, so it was really helpful for the team. They were pushing us to the limits and that’s really good.”
Looking forward to life as a Celt, Engels commented: “It’s a really big club and they play every time for the championship and for the Cups, so I think it’s obvious that it’s a step forward for me.
“And also with the new format of the Champions League, it can be really amazing and special for us.”
Brendan Rodgers contacted the player before the move was sealed and Engels revealed: “He explained to me how he works, how the training facilities are, how the fans are.
“He explained everything to me and that was a really nice conversation with him.
“But it’s up to me also just to perform and show that I have qualities enough to help the team – and that’s the most important thing.
SPEAK NO EVIL…Arne Engels is looking forward to being a winner at Celtic. Images courtesy Celtic TV.
“I’ll hopefully have a lot of good moments with the fans and with the team. It’s just a good step for me and I’m happy to be here.
“To come here was clear in my head, so it was an easy choice.”
Engels added: “I’m a relaxed guy and I just want to enjoy football, and that’s what I’ve been doing really well, otherwise they would not pay that sort of fee.
“I think I’m on the right path. I also believe in myself because I think that’s even more important than other people believing in me.
“But, yeah, it’s a really nice feeling that you see they did everything to get you. They paid obviously a big amount for me and I want to return a lot for the club.”
Engels will get another chance to impress when he is sure to play at some stage of the Premiership encounter with Hearts at Parkhead on Saturday.
And then most expensive player in the club’s history can turn his attention to the Champions League when Slovan Bratislava visit the east end of Glasgow on Wednesday.
