Belgium lost out in a narrow defeat to Italy last night in Nations League action.
The Red Devils faced off against Luciano Spaletti’s side and lost at home thanks to a goal from Sandro Tonali within the first 11 minutes.
It leaves Domenico Tedesco’s side in a spot of bother as they now sit back in third from their group with Italy top on 13 points and France second on 10.
One man who played the majority of the action was Celtic’s record signing Arne Engels.
The 22-year-old Engels is one of 13 Celtic stars on international duty but only won his first start on the night.
Yet his performance was praised by sections of the Belgian media who noted him as a bright-spark on a difficult evening.
The playmaker was singled out for doing the dirty work for his country as opposed to his usually creative and attacking style in the midfield for the Hoops.
Engels has shown he can do his defensive duties for Celtic – a clear role he took up in Atalanta during the goalless Champions League tie earlier this season – and he did the same for Belgium last night.
Arne Engels was praised by Belgian media for his defensive maturity
Media outlet Het Laatste Nieuws, as translated into English, applauded the player for his outing and credited him as being a mature presence in the engine room.
They wrote: “Engels showed maturity and precision in his passing, which was crucial for Belgium’s ball possession.”
Another publication, De Standaard, also lauded Engels’ defensive mind and his desire to win the ball back for his team for 90 minutes.
Arne Engels’ Celtic stats since he arrived from Augsburg on a record fee
They wrote: “Engels was tireless in winning the ball back and displayed impressive stamina throughout the entire match.”
The young man has been excellent since he joined Celtic from Augsburg with three goals and six assists from his 14 matches this campaign so far.
He was the club’s record £11million signing in the summer.
Engels’ value since he arrived at Celtic has soared.
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