Going to Ibrox today neither Arne Engels or Paulo Bernardo are sure of starting the match.
However it is virtually certain that both will be involved at some stage, going into today’s match without them would be unthinkable.
During the summer transfer window both players signed permanent deals at Celtic, it seems that Brendan Rodgers brought in more than just top class midfielders.
Engels turned 21 just after signing for Celtic on Transfer Deadline Day, Bernardo signed a few weeks earlier, on January 24 he will turn 23 with a wealth of under-age international football on his CV as well as two Champions League campaigns.
Scotland probably wasn’t the location that both players envisaged their career’s developing at but in different ways, despite not being regular picks Bernardo and Engels are progressing their careers in the best possible environment.
At Benfica there is a level of expectation but two strong domestic rivals; at Club Brugge Engels came through the ranks at possibly the most competitive league in Europe, there are no super powers in Belgium but a number of capable clubs that can impress whenever they are in European competition.
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Bernardo had a strong taster on loan at Celtic last season. With Reo Hatate suffering badly from injury the Portuguese midfielder received more involvement than first expected.
It was hard to make a case for Bernardo in his first few months at Celtic but with goals came confidence, he wasn’t at Jota levels but became more than effective with big contributions from the Starting XI or off the bench.
Key involvements in the Glasgow Derby helps. After scoring his first goal to make the breakthrough away to Dundee on December 26, a few days later he was a full on Celt by scoring in the Glasgow Derby as Phil Clement tasted defeat for the first time, it was one that the the former Monaco boss was forced to get used to.
Bernardo finished the season with a telling contribution to Adam Idah’s decisive goal in the Scottish Cup Final, when his move was made permanent there were no dissenting opinions from Celtic fans.
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In contrast Engels had an explosive start to life at Celtic, after a 20 minute cameo in the Glasgow Derby he scored penalties against Hearts and Slovan Bratislava as he announced his arrival in style.
Some fans described the young Belgian as upgrade on Matt O’Riley but that was misguided as they play very different midfield roles.
Five months into his Celtic career it is hard to define exactly what type of midfielder the £11m signing really is.
At Augsburg he played for a team that was mainly on the back foot, with Celtic he is in the engine room of a team that mostly has 70% possession in domestic games. A huge contrast.
The initial impact wasn’t maintained, there may have been a dip in form but no more so than almost everyone else in the Celtic side with the exceptions of Nicolas Kuhn and Kasper Schmeichel.
It takes a certain type of character to succeed at Celtic, on December 15 in the League Cup Final an off-form Engels showed that he had the minerals in a roller-coaster performance.
A 71st minute substitute for Bernardo he played a key role in the third goal scored by Kuhn, looked slack when presented with a decent opportunity in extra-time then showed nerves of steel to step up and take Celtic’s third penalty- as the youngest player on the park.
Ibrox is a big challenge for both players, there will be a hostility that they won’t recognise but with 2024 safely filed away more achievements lie ahead in 2025 as Celtic reach for new heights as Scotland’s most successful club.
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