Stiliyan Petrov has thrown his support behind Celtic’s record signing Arne Engels, insisting the £11 million Belgian midfielder needs time and support to fulfil his potential at Parkhead.
Engels arrived with high expectations but has yet to fully ignite, with some fans growing frustrated at a lack of standout displays from the 21-year-old. However, former Hoops hero Petrov sees promising signs and believes the youngster is capable of growing into a key player under Brendan Rodgers.
The Bulgarian, who became a mainstay in the Celtic midfield under Martin O’Neill, highlighted the importance of mentorship from seasoned pros like Paul Lambert and Neil Lennon during his own development. He believes Engels and current teammate Reo Hatate would benefit from similar guidance.
“Arne just needs time,” the former Celtic man told TCW. “It took me a lot of time to adapt and adjust at Celtic but my situation was completely different.
“I had the opportunity to play with very experienced players, good leaders, and players who demanded the ball. The Celtic team is completely different at the moment.
“I had players that I could learn from as Lubo Moravcik, Paul Lambert and Neil Lennon were there. Some players played in that position who could give me a lot of pointers and help me and push me to be competitive.
“At the moment Engels and Hatate are probably the two best midfielders at Celtic and sometimes you need more competition to push them, to encourage them to get better.
“I think Hatate has adapted much better in that position. He is a box-to-box midfielder, he is getting goals and getting in the right areas.
“Engels takes a little bit more time but he definitely has the ability. He has shown that he can play. He is a very intelligent player.
“So, I think he’ll be a great addition to this club.”
There is a quality about Engels that is clear to see. But Celtic needs to see him step up, week in, week out.
He doesn’t shy away from the ball and is brilliant from set pieces, but he needs to start creating a little bit of magic if fans are to change their minds on the player. Had he come in for a lesser fee, we’d probably be raving about him.
It’s been a good first season, but next term, after the summer working with Brendan Rodgers, he’ll be looking to kick on
