BBC Sports 2 Celtic stars saluted by Belgian football royalty as man Rodgers signed for £9m has a message for Arne Engels.
Engels had a difficult night against his previous squad in the Champions League, but one old comrade remains optimistic.
Belgium custodian Simon Mignolet believes Arne Engels has the potential to excel at Celtic and the Red Devils.
In Wednesday’s Champions League 1-1 draw with Club Brugge, the Hoops’ record £11 million addition struggled to make an impression and was finally substituted at halftime. Engels is still finding his feet at Parkhead, but the 21-year-old has already cracked into the Belgium squad. Shotstopper Mignolet, who retired from national service in the summer, admitted the playmaker when he was a child on the books at Brugge and believes the Celt has a bright future.
He said, “He’s doing pretty well. I had him in quite a few training sessions at Brugge, and you could tell he had a great right foot. He has demonstrated in every game that he has played here that he has a bright future, not just with Celtic, but also with Belgium. So I hope he continues to play like that. Fortunately, he did not score the other night.
Mignolet was satisfied with a Champions League point at Parkhead, and was not shocked by Celtic’s approach under former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.The Hoops manager spent £9 million for the Belgian while at Anfield, and the custodian confessed he has always appreciated Rodgers’ offensive style.
Mignolet remarked, “I think you can see that in the team – Celtic continue to play football. He always wants his side to play from the back, have the ball, and be in control, and you could see that throughout the game.
“They did not play a single long ball in the whole game. That’s presumably why they returned in the second half. We were driven back into our own box and were unable to escape the siege, despite having those counter-attacking opportunities. This is due to his football mentality.
Mignolet had Celtic where he wanted them thanks to Brugge, but was content with a point as the Parkhead men heaped on the pressure after the half.
He said: “Celtic improved in the second half, thanks to the supporters’ encouragement. We did not come out of the pressure in the second half as much as we might have. Although we had numerous counter-attacking opportunities, Kasper Schmeichel made a superb save and a goal was disallowed. Celtic enjoyed the better portion of the game in the second half. Overall, it was a fair outcome for both teams.”
Celtic have eight points from five games and are only one point behind Brugge in the fight for the knockout rounds. Mignolet expressed his desire to see both sides grow, saying, “Well, I hope so! Especially Brugge, of course. For us, it was a critical game. If we had won, we would have had nine points, which would have been a significant step towards the playoff stages. It was the same with Celtic. What you observed during the game was that both teams wanted to win and had a chance to win. But in the end, I believe 1-1 is a fair outcome.
“We’ve matched every team in the Champions League thus far, including Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa, AC Milan, and Celtic. I haven’t watched the Celtic games in depth, but what I have seen is a club that wants to play football and win the Champions League, as well as us.”
Elsewhere Marc Degryse, a Belgian World Cup hero, believes Celtic striker Daizen Maeda scored the ‘perfect goal’ and admits he can’t believe he did it. The Japanese star saved a point for the Hoops with a miraculous strike in the second half of a thrilling 1-1 Champions League tie against Club Brugge.
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