Celtic legend identifies natural Engels replacement in squad as star with 'fantastic' quality deserves chance

Celtic hero Scott Brown reckons his old side are missing the physicality and energy of midfielder Arne Engels - but new signing Oliver Sorenson could be his natural replacement.

The Danish maestro signed on loan from Serie A side Parma earlier this month and has made three subsequent appearances. Brown is an admirer of the 24-year old’s ‘fantastic’ range of his pass, as well as his energy in the middle of the park.

Having sold Engels to West Ham for EFL Championship record-breaking free of £22m, the 23-year old has left a gaping hole in the Hoops midfielder. This was particularly prevalent at the weekend when Celtic were overrun at Ibrox in their 3-0 Old Firm defeat to Rangers, in a match where captain Callum McGregor found himself isolated on occasion.

Brown on Celtic lack midfield powerhouse

The former skipper had dependable Kenyan enforcer Victor Wanyama by his side during his playing days in an iconic defensive midfield duo. When asked if he thinks Celtic have a similar player to that now, Brown told the Sun: “I thought Engels was that. He was a box-to-box midfielder. He really helped Callum McGregor in there and dropped in.

“Benjamin Nygren drops in at times and Mika Baur will drop in well, but they’ve not got that same physicality that Engels or Victor had. Sorensen’s got the physicality, but I’ve not seen enough of his legs back to front, if I’m honest, and he’s just in the door. Hopefully he can manage to provide that physicality. But I also see Sorensen’s got a fantastic range of passing. He looks forward and plays lovely passes, so hopefully he can bring that part to his game.”

While it took Engels time to find his feet in a Hoops jersey, once he got into his groove he became a hugely important player for manager Martin O’Neill, particularly towards the end of last season when he helped them secure the domestic double after returning from injury.

Brown on Europa League importance

Celtic now have the opportunity to bounce back on Thursday night against Hungarian giants Ferencvaros in the Europa League opener. Despite last month’s disappointment of failing to qualify for the Champions League, Brown believes it’s a competition they can still have a real go at. He added: “The Europa League is very important. They have to believe they can go on a good run in Europe.

“Have they got a Champions League squad to deal with top teams? Probably not at this moment in time. But the players that came in are going to make them stronger. They’re going to make them more competitive in Europe. It’s a right good start for Celtic to go into the Europa League and see how well they can do and how well they can compete.”

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