BBC pundit purs over Celtic star who is ‘regaining confidence’ after win v St Johnstone

Add as preferred source on Google

Celtic head into the New Year where they belong… at the top of the Premiership table.

The year 2024 was a delight for Brendan Rodgers and it ended with a bang on Sunday in front of a delighted Parkhead crowd.

Celtic put four goals past St Johnstone, days after doing the same to Motherwell, and are now 14 points clear of second-placed Rangers in the table.

The New Year starts with a trip to Ibrox and the Bhoys couldn’t be in better shape because nearly everything is going right.

One of the great things about this side is the depth in quality and the players who end up on the bench because they simply can’t break into such a strong starting XI.

One of the players who has found himself in and out of the starting XI this season is summer signing, Arne Engels and he sent out another reminder.

Arne Engels is ‘regaining confidence’ after Celtic’s win over St Johnstone

Just in time for the Rangers trip, the Belgium international is sending out a message to the manager that he should be starting alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate.

After scoring against Motherwell last time out, Engels backed it up by assisting Kyogo Furuashi for Celtic’s third goal against St Johnstone.

Engels won Man of the Match for his performance and Cillian Sheridan thinks he is looking like his old self again, as he told Sportscene.

“Engels, you could see there, the first chance he had, he looked a bit more like he was when he first came in,” said Sheridan.

“Dynamic, was up and down. Powerful runner. Probably a little unlucky with the finish, but he looks like he is regaining the confidence he had when he first came.

On Kyogo’s second goal: “Again, it’s a corner. I don’t think it’s how they had planned it to work out. But, again, it’s Kyogo’s movement in the box. Engels, again, does well, drops into space and puts a brilliant ball in and it’s Kyogo’s movement and finish. It’s kind of what we have seen from Celtic all year.”

Engels stats as Celtic beat St Johnstone

Patience is needed with Engels because it’s pretty clear that he needs time to settle in before he explodes into a top player on a consistent basis – and that might not really showcase its true self until next season.

Nicolas Kuhn is a prime example of that because, after his initial struggles, he is now probably one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Nonetheless, Engels was rated 8.02 by WhoScored for his performance against St Johnstone.