The Celtic narrative about Engels that doesn't quite add up as trip to the darts shows him something special is brewing

He's only 21 games into his Celtic career. But he already has a trophy in the bag, with his team perched at the top of the league and sitting pretty in Europe.

So life isn’t all that bad for Arne Engels. Some people would have you believe that the Belgian has yet to set the heather on fire since arriving in Scotland. And of course, with a huge £11 million price tag on his head, expectations were always going to be sky high. But as his gaffer, Brendan Rodgers, is quick to remind everyone - he’s still only 21 years old.

He’s come from Augsburg in Germany, where winning one game in four is probably considered an acceptable return. Engels admits it’s a whole new ball game in Glasgow. And overall, you’d have to say he’s adapted pretty well to his new surroundings. Rodgers has deliberately left him out of certain games, including last weekend’s Premier Sports Cup Final, as he continues to find his feet at Celtic. But Engels played a pivotal part in their success off the bench, scoring one of their crucial penalties in the shoot-out victory over Rangers.

And he’s more than happy with his contribution so far this term, as Rodgers’ side target a Treble and Champions League progress. He’s scored four goals already and was particularly impressive when he first got here. Even if his performance levels have dipped slightly, Engels knows his long-term development at the club is well on track.

As he prepared for Celtic’s next test - an away Premiership trip to Tannadice on Sunday - the Belgian said: “I’ve loved my time here, it’s been a really nice experience so far. I’ve settled in and everyone at the club has helped me. It’s been really smooth, actually. I can only say positive things up to now and I can’t wait to carry that on.

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