ARNE ENGELS is learning all about the expectation levels that surround a young player burdened with a record fee.
The Belgian international midfielder cost Celtic an all-time club high of £11million when he signed from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg on deadline day.
Engels was expected to hit the ground running and he stroked in two penalty-kicks in successive wins over Hearts and Slovan Bratislava in his first two starts, but, understandably, the momentum has slowed down.
THE RACE IS ON…Arne Engels competes with Atalanta defender Sead Kolisanic for a through ball.
Brendan Rodgers was the man who pushed all the way for the champions to break their own transfer record twice in a matter of weeks with £9.5million striker Adam Idah arriving from Norwich City with the cultured playmaker following shortly afterwards.
But the Hoops boss is NOT surprised at the slight stutter in Engels’ progress.
As he prepared for the Premiership encounter with Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday afternoon, Rodgers admitted: “There are critics in the game and people have an opinion and you have to respect that.
“For me, we’ve brought in a young player who is nowhere near the finished article.
“Sometimes there’s a press around him and that might feel like you’re buying someone who is the finished article, but he’s not.
“He came in here as a 20-year-old player who has a great potential and it’s my job along with the staff to develop that.”
The Irishman, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “I said to him he’s coming from playing one game a week, where that’s a holiday in my book, to come and play at a big club with big pressure and big expectations and that he’ll feel it.
ON STAND-BY…Luke McCowan, second right, celebrates with his Celtic team-mates Daizen Maeda, Nicolas Kuhn and Paulo Bernardo after his Champions League debut in Bergamo.
“Sometimes he’ll play in a lot of games and sometimes he’ll come out to recover. It’s all natural.
“We had the same with Nicolas Kuhn and probably with Callum McGregor over many years.
“It’s football and I understand it.”
Rodgers added: “People make a judgement and have an opinion, but I’m so happy he chose to come here.
“He has shown more than enough in this short period of time that he’s going to be a fantastic player for us.”
Engels delivered a good and disciplined shift in the goalless draw against Atalanta in Bergamo before he was withdrawn in the 75th minute to make way for Luke McCowan, a £1million recruit from Dundee on the same day the Belgian arrived.
There has been a recent clamour for the boyhood Hoops fan to get a starting place and there is a possibility that could happen against Stuart Kettlewell’s side.
Reo Hatate, too, is another midfielder who could benefit with a breather while Paulo Bernardo waits for his turn in the line-up for a kick-off.
