Such was the weight of expectation resting on Arne Engels’ shoulders last summer that no-one would have been surprised if he’d been sidelined for much of his debut season at Celtic with a chronic back problem.

Two weeks after Adam Idah became the club’s record signing at £9million, the Belgian took much of the heat off the Irishman by completing a £11m move from Augsburg.

Switching from one of the Bundesliga’s also-rans to Celtic would be taxing enough for a seasoned professional. 

The level of scrutiny which comes with a fee akin to a telephone number is intense, undesirable and – in some respects – unfair. 

There was probably no impact Engels could have made in his first year to please every member of an expectant and demanding audience.

Engels celebrates with team-mate Luke McCowan after Celtic won the title at Tannadice

The young Belgian was in commanding form as Celtic hammered Dundee United 5-0

Arne Engels has been nominated for the SPFL young player of the year award after his debut season at Parkhead

And yet, he’s done more than enough to be satisfied with his contribution to date. He’s scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists as his side have nailed down two-thirds of another Treble.

He looked at home in the Champions League, picked up a pair of international caps, and has now landed a nomination for PFA Scotland’s young player of the year. Crucially, when the dip in form inevitably came, he came through the other side.

Engels is not oblivious to the huge investment Celtic made in him, and he’s certainly not complacent about it. He sees the pressure it brings as a privilege.

‘It’s not me that is paying it,’ Engels said. ‘I’m here to perform and to win titles and trophies. That’s why I’m here and that’s what we also did.

‘It’s now for me to just perform and get better and then hopefully that transfer fee will not be that big.’

Engels is mature for his tender years. When his mid-season loss in form became the subject of radio phone-ins and newspaper columns, he accepted it with good grace.

His coping mechanism wasn’t to put his finger to his lips or cup his ear the next time he found the net, but to seek self-improvement.

‘If you play for Celtic, there will always be people that have something to say or something to write,’ he added.

Engels and Kasper Schmeichel share a hug as Celtic are crowned Premiership champions

Arne Engels and Jeffrey Schlupp model their champions t-shirt on a special day for the Parkhead side

The Celtic star with his fellow young player nominees, from left, Hamza Igamane of Rangers, James Wilson of Hearts and Lennon Miller of Motherwell

‘You need to deal with it. You need to be mentally really strong. I was already really strong in that way from my youth

‘I’m just looking to myself and not really listening or reading stuff. I’m just trying to get better every day. I’m on a good path.’

Engels has encountered numerous obstacles to reach this point. The shift in mentality that’s required to thrive at Celtic has been chief among them.

‘It’s not really nice to get a draw, to get a loss,’ he said. ‘In Augsburg, maybe it wasn’t really a big thing. But, over here, you cannot lose. That’s also what we have in our mindset. Even if you play 1-1, it’s a disaster for us. Everybody is so down in the dressing room.’

He admits that adhering to this almost impossible standard has been mentally taxing.

‘Yeah, but that’s also the thing that I love. Having this mindset of just being there every game and trying to win, it’s such a good feeling.’

The increase in physical demands has also been considerable. Last season, Engels played 33 times for a team whose sole concern was remaining in the league.

With Celtic fighting on four fronts and international recognition coming his way, he’s made 50 appearances to date this term.

Engels showed he belonged on the big stage when he coolly slotted home his penalty against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League in September

The Belgian midfielder can’t hide his delight after helping put Slovan to the sword

Arne Engels feels that his record transfer fee of £11million is becoming less of a burden as he helps Celtic to titles and trophies

Brendan Rodgers had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek when he said Engels had come from a holiday camp. The point was understood, though.

‘It’s crazy how the schedule was a few months ago,’ said Engels. ‘Now it’s getting better, just one game a week.

‘I remember in November until March or something, every week was a midweek match.

‘That was nice, but also really hard because you needed to switch on directly, going to recovery, going to the game again and doing all your stuff to be there on the pitch because you need to perform.

‘You cannot really lose a game, so you need to be there also in small games. You need to have the right mindset to win those. That’s how you win trophies.’

Engels featured in all of Celtic’s Champions League games, scoring against Slovan Bratislava and emerging – like his side – with much credit from the campaign.

‘The team did really well,’ he reflected. ‘I think my performances were also really good. That’s a level you want to play at every week or every year.

‘Maybe sometimes we didn’t play like we did in the domestic league, with the high press and stuff. But then you see that we are a really mature squad and that we are improving in this. And that we can also get results in another way.’

His contentment with life on the field has been matched by an appreciation of what he has in his football-mad adopted city.

‘Like I said to all my friends and family, everybody is so nice here in Scotland.

‘So, that’s not really a bad thing to have here, to get maybe sometimes recognised on the streets.

‘It’s nice to feel that everybody is so passionate in the city and everywhere you go. Celtic is a really big club.’

Come lunchtime on Sunday, the bonhomie will take a back seat for a few hours.

In January, Engels’ first experience of Ibrox saw him sustain a gash above one eye after he was struck by a coin as his side fell to a 3-0 defeat.

‘I don’t think about it,’ he insisted. ‘I just want to win.’

He is similarly unmoved by the prospect of going toe-to-toe with his international team-mate Nico Raskin.

‘You just need to focus on the game, not on the players that are there,’ he stressed.

‘I don’t think about other players or who I’m playing against. I don’t really care. I played against Bayern and stuff.’

Always respectful of the reputations of others but never daunted by them, Engels believes in himself and where he is going.

‘There’s hopefully still more to come. I’m working every day, I’m trying to do my best, I think I had a decent season. Already two trophies, so I can’t really complain.’