Celtic star Arne Engels gets bizarre Belgium suspension as debut gets Kevin de Bruyne approval

Arne Engels got his Belgium debut shortly after becoming Celtic's record signing in a whirlwind few weeks for him.

The midfielder, 21, was brought in by the Hoops on deadline day as the splashed out £11million on a replacement for departed £30m man Matt O'Riley. Engels was tracked by Brendan Rodgers and his recruitment team for some time after some standout performances for Augsburg in Bundesliga.

He was then called into his nation's first team by Domenico Tedesco and was handed his debut during the Nations League win over Israel. He came on as a sub for the final 17 minutes and his involvement, along with that of Julien Duranville, won praise from teammate and Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne.

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The 33-year-old said: “Julien wasn’t afraid to show his talents. And Arne also made a very good substitution."

However, Engels will be returning to the Hoops after learning he is suspended for tomorrow's trip to neighbours France. It comes from an accumulation of yellow cards from his time playing for the under-21s. It reportedly only applies to games played within 24 hours of a 21s match, either side of it. That is why he was free to face Israel but not France, with the young team playing on Tuesday.

Engels will hope to be involved against Hearts this weekend and also to win another Belgium call-up for the next matches against the French and Italy.