The factors that make Brendan Rodgers sure Arne Engels will come good for Celtic

With a hefty price tag, comes lofty expectations.

The weight of pulling on a Celtic jersey has overwhelmed countless players in the past, but when they also have the pressure of living up to an £11m transfer fee, they have to accept that scrutiny of their performance is only going to intensify further.

So it has been for Arne Engels in these fledgling weeks of his Celtic career. The young Belgian has toiled in the midfield of late, following up a quiet night at Tynecastle on Saturday with another forgettable display against his former team, Club Brugge, in the Champions League in midweek.

That has led many fans to wonder if the 21-year-old is justifying not only the eye-watering sum that Celtic paid to prise him from Augsburg, but if he even justifies his place in the starting XI.

His manager, Brendan Rodgers, accepts that the transition for Engels into his team has as yet not been an entirely smooth one, but he is certain that the midfielder will come good.

Rodgers points to the examples of Paulo Bernardo – ironically, the man that many observers would have in the team ahead of Engels – and Nicolas Kuhn as players who were initially written off by many, but who roared back to become firm favourites with the Celtic Park crowd and integral members of his squad.

And he is adamant that given time, Engels’ Celtic career will follow a similar trajectory. When asked if fans need to show a little bit of patience with Engels, Rodgers said: “Yes. I know in life it is a challenge now 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 loud enough when he enters onto the pitch. That's called development. It's called patience. It's called time.

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“Arne is a fantastic young player. Otherwise, we wouldn't have brought him here.

“He doesn't set the price. He's come here to a big club to improve his game. I've got absolutely no doubt he will do that.

“But hopefully - and 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, 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 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.”

One thing that Engels certainly has going for him is his temperament, carrying himself with a maturity far beyond his years. And Rodgers thinks that will be a key component of his make-up that will allow him to overcome these early difficulties in his Celtic journey.

“I think it's always the pressure when you come to play up here,” he said.

“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. But like every player, whether they're young or old, you're not immune to it. You know what's being said.

(Image: Andrew Milligan - PA)

“But he only really needs to worry about his teammates and ourselves and his development and coaching. 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.”

Another player whose development Rodgers is delighted with is full back Alistair Johnston, with the Canadian international longlisted among the defenders for the Best FIFA Men’s XI yesterday, alongside the likes of Ruben Dias, Antonio Rudiger and former Celtic full back Jeremie Frimpong.

“Well, I didn't know that, but it's absolutely brilliant for him,” Rodgers said.

“Again, it recognises the consistency that he's played internationally and clearly domestically, and shows how he's rising as a football player. I just think you evolve and develop, don't you, with time and patience.

“I think that for him himself, it shows you how consistent he's been and how good he has been.

“I haven't seen the list, but I can only imagine if it's of the world's best, then clearly, it's a great honour for him to be recognised in that list.”

Perhaps Celtic’s most consistent defender over the last couple of years though has been Cameron Carter-Vickers, with his howler against Club Brugge on Wednesday all the more shocking because it came from such a reliable performer in this Celtic side.

Rodgers though has no worries that the centre back will react in the right manner, just as he did on night.

“It's just reinforcing,” he said.

“It's not so much him himself, it's just one of those things. I said to Nicolas Kuhn, as long as he doesn't claim the assist, because he seems to be getting assists left, right and centre these days! But, no, it's just one of those things.

“We needed to get into shape earlier. That was the correction that we make on it. He's been a real colossal player for this club and will continue to be.

“His response in the game was actually very, very good. So, just one of those things that happens in the game, but his response and the team's response was very good.”