Rodgers Anticipates Engels’ Development Akin to Bernardo and Kuhn

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has advocated for patience concerning £11m summer acquisition Arne Engels, expressing his conviction that the midfielder can flourish in a manner similar to Nicolas Kuhn and Paulo Bernardo. The 21-year-old Belgium international has recorded three penalty goals in 16 outings since his transfer from Augsburg in August. Fellow midfielder Bernardo, 22, was on loan at Celtic from Benfica during the previous season, while winger Kuhn, 24, arrived from Rapid Vienna in January. Kuhn has found the net 11 times across 19 appearances this season. “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,” Rodgers remarked. He continued: “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 the pitch. That’s called development, it’s called patience, it’s called time.” Rodgers further commented: “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, 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. 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.” Rodgers, whose team is scheduled to host Ross County on Saturday, noted that “the scrutiny is on you” for players joining Celtic, a club that is both the defending champion and the current leader of the Scottish Premiership. “It’s always the pressure when you come to play up here,” he elaborated. “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.”