Brendan Rodgers defends Celtic player facing fan criticism

Celtic players are under pressure to deliver every time they step onto the pitch. A lot of football fans outside of Scotland may not realise the level of expectations that surrounds the Hoops at all times. These days, anything less than a domestic treble is considered disappointing. Naturally, it takes fresh arrivals some time to adjust to life at Parkhead.

Celtic surprised a lot of fans when they shelled out a club-record £11 million transfer fee to sign Arne Engels from FC Augsburg. The Belgian midfielder was not really a household name or someone who would deliver a lot of goals or assists from the off.

It is important to remember though that he is 21 years of age and playing at this level for the first time. Of course, the Bundesliga is a better league than the Scottish Premiership. But the pressure at FC Augsburg cannot be compared to that at Celtic. Learning to perform under that is a game in itself.

Arne Engels started well but some of his recent displays have not caught the eye. Not that he has been bad or anything. But not a standout performer either. And that is something that many were expecting from the club's record signing.

Brendan Rodgers defends Celtic player facing fan criticism

Brendan Rodgers has now given his take on the matter. As reported by The Herald, the Celtic manager said:

"He came in here as a 20-year-old player who has got great potential, and it's my job along with the staff to develop that.

"He's coming from playing one game a week, where that's a holiday in my book, to come and play at a big club, with big pressure and big expectations and you will feel it.

"Sometimes, you'll play a lot of games and you come out to recover, so it's all natural.

“We've had the same with Nicolas Kuhn and Callum McGregor over the many years. It's football, I understand people want to make a judgement and an opinion, but I'm so happy he's chosen to come here.

"He's shown more than enough in this short period of time that he is going to be a fantastic player for us."

Engels does deserve some time to adjust to life playing for Celtic. One has to remember that in his first season with the club, Matt O'Riley was not the player that he ended up becoming. Look at the difference in Nicolas Kuhn in half-a-season.

But at the same time, one cannot overlook the solid performances that have been put in by Luke McCowan. Rodgers needs to find a way to get him some more playing time and see if he continues to impress.