Brendan Rodgers has no doubt Arne Engels will prove doubters wrong at Celtic

Brendan Rodgers is in no doubt that record signing Arne Engels will prove any doubters wrong at Celtic.

The 21-year-old Belgium international joined the Hoops from Bundesliga side Augsburg for a reported £11m fee.

Despite impressive performances in his first few appearances for the club, he has recently been criticised for a perceived drop in form.

That has led to a clamour among sections of the support for Paulo Bernardo to get a run in the starting line-up.

But Rodgers has seen enough from Engels to be convinced he will go from strength to strength and be a star for the Scottish champions.

Speaking on Friday, the manager said: “Playing here is a challenge for anyone. The most recent example of that would be Paulo Bernardo.

“He was exactly the same if I remember back, highlighting his performances at this time last year, and now he is cheered on loudly whenever he enters the pitch.

“That’s called development, that’s called patience, and it’s all about time. 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, and I have absolutely no doubt he will do that.

“I hope that people will learn their lesson. The same people who were writing off Paulo and Nicolas Kuhn will now be Arne Engels or someone else. You have to look and see that development takes time, and some more than others.

“Some players will hit the ground running and adapt perfectly. But not everyone is like that, especially a young player.

“I’ve been really pleased since he came in, because I know the future for him is that he will improve and develop and get better. We have seen it so many times.”