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Brendan Rodgers hits back at Arne Engels critics as Celtic boss offers 2 examples to any doubters
Brendan Rodgers has hit out at critics of Arne Engels’ form and insists he has no doubts Celtic’s record signing will come good.
Belgian international midfielder Engels has struggled to make a significant impact in some of the Scottish champions’ recent fixtures. The 21-year-old was substituted after an hour of Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League at Celtic Park.
Many Celtic fans have called for Paulo Bernardo, who replaced him in midweek, to be handed a regular starting spot in midfield. But Rodgers has echoed the sentiments of Record Sport columnist Chris Sutton in urging supporters to show more patience with £11million signing Engels.
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The Hoops boss also pointed out that Portuguese under-21 international Bernardo and German winger Nicolas Kuhn both faced similar scrutiny in their initial spells at the clubs before winning the fans over. “It’s called time,” said Rodgers. “Arne is a fantastic young player. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have brought him here.
“He doesn’t set the price tag. He’s come here to a big club to improve his game. I’ve got absolutely no doubt he will do that.
"I know in life now it is a challenge for any of them but I think the most recent example of that would be Paulo Bernardo. He was exactly the same, if I remember back, highlighting Paulo in his performances this time last year.
“Now, he can't be cheered on loudly enough when he enters onto the pitch. That's called development. It's called patience. Hopefully, I know it won't be the case, but I would hope that people will learn their lesson. Seeing people that were writing off Paulo and Nicolas Kuhn, and it'll be Arne Engels, then it'll be someone else. Then you have to look and see and understand that development takes time.
“Some will hit the ground running and be fine and adapt, perfect. But not everyone is like that, and especially a young player. So I've been really pleased with Arne since he's come in, because I know the future for him. He will improve, he will develop and get better. And we've seen it so many times. I think it's always the pressure when you come to play up here. I think the scrutiny is on you.
“You're going to have your critics. Sometimes it's deserved, sometimes it's not. But either way, a lot of the time you don't have the last word, but you do have your chance on the pitch to show what you can do. So I've got no doubt about Arne. But like every player, whether they're young or old, you're not immune to it. You know what's been said.
“But, as I said, he only really needs to worry about his teammates and ourselves and his development and coaching. And, as I said, he's such a young player with a lot of potential and that's why we brought him here. He's not the finished article.”
Rodgers, meanwhile, expressed his delight at right-back Alistair Johnston’s inclusion on the list of nominees for the FIFA World Best X1 in recognition of his performances for both Celtic and Canada in 2024.
“It's absolutely brilliant for him,” said Rodgers. “Again, it recognises the consistency that he's played internationally and clearly domestically, and shows how he's rising as a football player. It’s a great honour for him to be recognised on that list.”
Celtic have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s league game at home to Ross County who they needed a late winner to see off in Dingwall earlier in the season. “I expect a similar type of game, they will be super well organised under Don Cowie,” said Rodgers. “But we are at home and want to showcase our energy and attitude in the game.”
