The Parkhead giants are on course to clinch a third domestic treble under Brendan Rodgers
Arne Engels is out to show who’s the daddy at Hampden after admitting he can’t escape Celtic’s treble talk – even when chatting to his parents.
The Belgian midfielder has taken time to settle in Glasgow’s east end since his £11million move from Augsburg last August. But the 21-year-old has grown to become a key figure for Brendan Rodgers’ team while feeling more and more at home as the Hoops close in on three pieces of silverware.
The League Cup winners need just one more point to celebrate a fourth successive Premiership title and will have a shot at completing the set in next month’s Scottish Cup Final after setting up a showdown with Aberdeen.
While the Parkhead faithful are ramping up the pressure on their team to record a sixth clean sweep in the last nine seasons, Engels is doing his best to shut out the noise – even if it isn’t always easy.
He said: “I love it. It’s why you play football – to win trophies, and of course Celtic is a massive club. Everybody has something to say.
“And of course I’m not reading it but sometimes you’re hearing it from my parents, telling me ‘they are saying this or that’.
“But it is up to me to just perform and to enjoy my game and enjoy life a bit. It’s also an important thing to enjoy your life, and also playing.
“I love it here, I love being in Glasgow, it’s been an enjoyable season and hopefully we end it well.”
Engels is one of Rodgers’ main men but he has lost his place in Rudi Garcia’s Red Devils squad to Rangers counterpart Nico Raskin. The Celtic playmaker is a former Belgian Under-21 team-mate of Ibrox midfielder Raskin.
But he was forced to sit at home and watch as the Gers battler won his first two caps in last month’s Nations League double-header with Ukraine.
Raskin has also got the upper hand on his compatriot on a couple of other occasions lately. Last month, he was named player of the match after netting as his Gers side edged out Engels’ Hoops at Parkhead. And last week, he pipped the Parkhead playmaker for a place in the PFA Scotland team of the year.
But Engels is now due to have the last laugh as he team look to wrap up the league crown this weekend when they head to Tannadice needing only a draw to cross the line.
Shrugging off the ‘rivals’ suggestions, the former Augsburg ace said: “It’s not really a rivalry. It’s just what you’re making out of it! My big aim here is now just to win the Treble and that’s the only thing in my mind.
“If that comes, I’m performing well and doing well, it’s not up to me to do the selection for the national team.
“I’m just working hard and doing my best, then we will see.”
