Arne Engels did his international future with Belgium no harm as he impressed on his first full start for his country against Italy.
Celtic’s record signing bought from FC Augsburg for £11m in the summer had already earned two caps for Belgium before Thursday night’s UEFA Nations League tie.
With no Kevin de Bruyne in the team, Belgium boss Domenico Tedesco opted to start Engels on the right of a midfield three.
Belgium would go on to lose on the night as Italy won 1-0 in League A Group 2. It leaves Engels’ Belgium third in the group with just four points after five games.
But the 21-year-old put in a good individual performance which the Belgian media very much appreciated in this morning’s newspapers.
One outlet labelled Engels ‘tireless’ and ‘impressive’ while another claimed the Celtic star ‘proved that he is ready for the highest level.’
Celtic’s Arne Engels reacts to first Belgium start
But what did Engels himself have to say? As quoted in the Daily Record, Engels said: “I’m happy that I was able to show what I’m capable of.
“People may know me from my Champions League games with Celtic, but I’ve never played at the highest level in Belgium. So a lot of people here don’t really know who I am.
“I hope that with this game I’ve shown what I can do. It was nice to be in the starting line-up for the first time. But of course, it’s a shame we couldn’t win.”
Engels stats vs Italy
Engels was substituted on the 71st minute with Belgium still searching for an equaliser. He managed one shot on goal and registered a pass accuracy of 71 percent (12/17 successful passes).
Moreover, Engels made two key passes into the final third but was also on hand to help his side defensively.
He made three defensive actions and two successful recoveries, although it wasn’t enough to get anything out of the game.
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