Chris Sutton believes Arne Engels could be the key to unlocking Celtic’s season, labelling him the only real “game changer” in the current squad.
The Belgian midfielder returned from injury last weekend, getting 30 minutes under his belt against St Mirren, and is now pushing for a start at Hampden in Sunday’s semi-final.
His return comes at a crucial time.
Celtic have struggled for fluency and goals from open play in recent weeks, often labouring through matches rather than controlling them.
The club rejected three late bids from Nottingham Forest in January, the last reportedly worth £25 million, underlining just how highly they value him. He’s Celtic’s record purchase, which means that the pressure has always been on him, leading to some fans, for whatever reason, not rating him too highly.
But Sutton sees Engels as the man who can change Celtic’s season.
Speaking to the Daily Record, he said:
“Engels made his comeback as a sub seven days ago after a couple of months out and there is now a huge opportunity for him to make a real impact at a critical time in the campaign for the Hoops.
“The Belgian might not be everyone’s cup of tea but he has the fitness and energy to get around people and make runs, as well as having ability on the ball. Reo Hatate is one who has dropped out the starting line-up recently and, despite some fleeting moments, I don’t feel he has grasped the nettle.
“His second-half performance against Rangers at Ibrox at the beginning of last month – when he helped turn the game then scored an equaliser – suggested that he might just be a senior figure who could seize the responsibility and drag his team onwards.
“But he has not kicked on and Celtic are back to square one looking for someone to be the main assistance to McGregor.
“Engels is a strong runner and, playing in a team which is struggling to score goals from open play, his dead-ball delivery can be a big asset.
“O’Neill spoke recently about the fact the Belgian needs to add some more goals to his game to really go to the next level. All the motivations are there for him to step back into that starting line-up and show himself as worthy of being the club’s record buy.
“I’ve barely seen a Celtic midfielder run beyond a striker in months. Even when I was playing in a struggling Blackburn Rovers team we had boys who would get up in support. The likes of Tim Sherwood and Garry Flitcroft would bust a gut to join me, Kevin Gallacher would be racing in from a side.
“At the moment, that shift for Celtic’s sole frontman is thankless and Engels can help drive the midfield into more positive positions.”
With Martin O’Neill searching for spark and creativity, Engels’ return could hardly be better timed.
The opportunity is there and now it’s on him to take it.
Alistair Johnston and young Callum Osmand are still a week or two away from returning to the action, but both could still have a role to play in the run-in.
