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.
“I appreciate the support the manager has given me but everyone at the club has been like that. If it’s not him, it’s somebody else. They want me to enjoy my time here and improve my abilities. It’s great to have people like that within the club.
“It’s always tough for a young player going to a new country but I was used to it in Germany so I knew what was coming on to me. But it’s even better here and it’s going even smoother than I thought it would.
“It’s different to being at home or somewhere else but that’s normal. How do I cope with the pressure here? I just try to work hard and improve myself every day. I want to show the fans my ability and I feel like I’m in a good way with that right now.
“I still need to improve, 100 percent. I know this, I’m the first to admit it. But I’m on a good road and so is the team. It can only get better. I hope there is still so much more to come from me here in the future. It’s up to myself and the team to perform.”
Engels collected the first trophy of his career at Hampden last week with their Old Firm triumph – but now he wants more. Whether that was his mentality before Celtic signed him is unknown. But judging by the youngster’s mindset, it was probably one of the things that attracted Rodgers to him.
The Parkhead dressing-room’s relentless attitude to winning is new to him. But now, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Engels said: “It’s always nice to get a trophy, especially when it’s the first one of your career. But it’s just important that we got it. We can now look forward to the next game and getting back to winning more.
“On a personal level, I want to enjoy my time here and improve as a player. And hopefully win. Celtic is the biggest club in Scotland so it’s all about winning trophies.
“Hopefully we can achieve that together. The winning mentality here is different to what I’ve experienced before. Kasper Schmeichel has said if you win here, it’s a normal feeling. But if you draw or lose, it’s a disaster.
“That’s so true. Everyone has that mindset. We drew 2-2 with Aberdeen earlier this season and afterwards, it was like we’d lost everything in the dressing-room. I really like that mentality within the group. We only accept wins. That’s why we’re in such a good way.”
Engels immersed himself in British culture even more in the wake of the cup final win by joining his Celtic team-mates for a trip to the World Darts Championships at the Ally Pally in London. He lapped up the atmosphere as Rodgers’ squad celebrated more silverware and strengthened their team spirit. But if there’s one thing Engels has picked up from his Parkhead pals straight away – it’s that they never rest on their laurels.
He said: “It’s been a nice week. Everyone really enjoyed winning the cup. It was obviously a tight game but we deserved the win so we’re happy. I had a great time at the darts with the boys. It was a bit of a team building trip for us. But now we can’t wait for the next game on Sunday.”