Celtic have been dealt a significant blow in their title push with confirmation that Arne Engels will be sidelined until after the next international break.
The 21-year-old was forced off in the first half of Wednesday night’s win over Livingston, raising immediate concerns given how central he has become to Celtic’s midfield under Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney.
Those worries have now been confirmed, with Engels facing several weeks on the sidelines.
Celtic only recently knocked back a £25 million bid for the midfielder, a reflection of just how important he has become this season under the new leadership.
The difference when he is missing has been noticeable.
Against Livingston, and again away to Kilmarnock, Celtic struggled for control, particularly in the first half of the trip to Killie. The drop-off in tempo and authority in midfield underlined Engels’ growing influence, something that isn’t exactly picked up by supporters when he’s playing.
Speaking about the injury, O’Neill confirmed Celtic will be without the Belgian until late March. “He’ll be out to the international window,” he said, quoted by TCW. “I don’t think, unless he does really, really well in recovery, I can’t see us having him before that finishes, which would be the end of March.
“It’s his thigh, which is every bit as bad as a hamstring injury in that sense. It’s a big loss for us, absolutely. That’s why getting Alex in has been so crucial for us.”
That reference was to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was introduced at half-time at Rugby Park and showed flashes of his quality. While clearly still building fitness after a long spell without regular football, there were encouraging signs in his movement, ball retention and ability to steady play.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is not registered for Celtic’s Europa League squad, but domestically he could yet prove vital over the coming weeks as Celtic attempt to navigate a demanding schedule without Engels. The hope will be that his experience and composure can help fill the gap, even if he is not yet operating at full capacity.
Losing Engels at this stage of the season is a serious setback. How effectively they cope without him may go a long way towards deciding whether their title challenge can be sustained into the spring.