Arne Engels has divided opinion following his transfer to Celtic last summer.
It’s not Engels’ fault, but Celtic paid a club-record transfer for the midfielder’s signature, and that has seemingly been used to verbally batter him this season when he has played poorly.
But, despite that, Brendan Rodgers has continued to start the 21-year-old in the middle of the park, alongside the usual suspects Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate.
That shows how much he means to Celtic, after the Premiership title was confirmed on Saturday following the thrashing of Dundee United, alongside a possible Treble if the champions beat Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final in May.
But could some strong competition come in to dethrone Engels from his starting spot via the transfer window this summer, and ahead of the next campaign?
- READ MORE: ‘Not his fault’ – John Hartson hits out at what he is hearing about Arne Engels at Celtic
Lennon Miller up for PFA Scotland’s Young Player of the Year alongside Arne Engels
Lennon Miller could be a man who could join Celtic this summer, amid transfer links and his form for Motherwell.
The 18-year-old has been nominated for Young Player of the Year, alongside Engels, Rangers’ Hamza Igamane and Hearts teenager James Wilson.
Despite parts of his season being disrupted by injury, as well as a change of manager, he has still been a consistent starter and strong performer for his club.
And Miller expressed his delight at being recognised by those he plays against, as he told Sky Sports.
“It’s a brilliant moment for me and my family to be nominated again,” said Miller. “You don’t expect these things.
“It’s always nice for the players you play against week in and week out, they have actually recognised you are an alright footballer, it’s nice, but at the start of the year, you don’t set these markers, but it’s always nice to receive them.”
Miller on seeing the ‘odd thing’ about his future amid Celtic links
It remains to be seen if Miller signs for Celtic, but there are calls for the champions to add more quality and defensive bite to the middle of the park.
Someone like Miller prefers to play further forward, but he does have versatility with his midfield role and he is someone who would thrive under Rodgers.
Amid the noise around his future, the Motherwell star admitted that he has seen the ‘odd thing’ about who he is being linked with.
“There have been ups and downs,” responded Miller on his season as a whole. “Started the season really well, scoring goals and getting assists, and then you get the injury, which is unfortunate. You miss a couple of weeks, and then it takes you time to catch up.
Speculation of his future: “To be honest, I don’t really look at it,” added Miller. “Obviously, you see the odd thing.
“But I just need to focus on playing for Motherwell, and trying to get the best results for Motherwell, then see where that takes me.”
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