WE MUST PROTECT ENGELS

CALLUM MCGREGOR has vowed the Celtic dressing room will "protect" Arne Engels and accused his critics of forgetting how young the Belgian is.

- By Graeme Young

Engels arrived from Augsburg in August for a club record £11million little more than a week before his 21st birthday.

He has netted 10 times from midfield in his debut season but has also received flak in some quarters for his overall contribution despite being a regular starter.

However, captain McGregor railed against the criticism with the strongest of rebuttals as he stood behind his team-mate with an emphatic defence of what he has brought to Parkhead.

Engels played an hour of last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Rangers at Ibrox and the mixed reviews over his display summed up how he is viewed by fans and pundits.

But McGregor said: “He was excellent. What everyone forgets is he is still such a young player.