Arne Engels has made no secret of his ambition as he stars week in, week out for Celtic.
The Celtic midfielder is desperate to force his way back into the Belgium squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The 22-year-old was the matchwinner at Easter Road on Sunday, bravely heading home Celtic’s second goal in the 3–1 victory over Hibernian before taking a boot to the face for his troubles.
It was another standout display in what has quietly become an excellent run of form under Martin O’Neill.
Engels already has four Belgium caps to his name, but with competition fierce and the tournament only months away, he knows consistency at club level is the only route back in.
He said: “The World Cup is always there. It would be an amazing achievement by myself to get there. It’s always nice to play for your country. It’s up to me to get the performances in and let everybody see that I am ready for it.
“It’s not up to me to decide. But it’s up to me to make good performances and to score goals and make assists. So we’ll see what happens, but I will be trying my best to do that, for sure.” [The Herald]
He’s had to watch the games on TV in recent times, with Nico Raskin from across the city jetting off with the squad.
But Rudi Garcia, the Belgian manager, can’t ignore Arne Engels’ performances for much longer. He’s been superb in the league and Europe, with Raskin from across the city is seeing fans turn on him for his poor form.
If he keeps producing moments like Sunday’s winner and continues thriving in midfield, the Belgium boss will have a tough time ignoring him.
