Worth 2x more than Kyogo: Celtic star proved that he could play for Bayern

Thrashed 7-1 away to Borussia Dortmund not too long ago, Scottish champions Celtic showcased their notable improvement on the Champions League stage after putting in a battling display at home to another Bundesliga giant, Bayern Munich, on Wednesday night.

While the 2-1 scoreline at Parkhead in favour of the visitors has ensured the Hoops face an uphill task trying to progress heading into next week’s second leg, there remains room for optimism. This Bayern side is not one to fear.

Yes, Vincent Kompany’s men are stacked with talent across the board, but the Old Firm outfit proved they can go toe to toe all over the pitch, with it taking a Michael Olise stunner and a clinical Harry Kane volley from a set-piece for the away side to power ahead.

Quite why Olise was allowed to cut inside onto his favoured left foot is a valid question. As too is why the “irrepressible” Kane – as hailed by journalist Alex Crook – was free at the back post.

Those may be the obvious negatives, yet with Daizen Maeda capping a strong finale by nodding Celtic back into the game – and the tie – Brendan Rodgers can certainly focus on the overwhelming positives ahead of next week’s trip to Bavaria.

Celtic’s best performers vs Bayern

The obvious place to start would of course be with that man Maeda, with the Japanese sensation racking up his 22nd goal of the season – and his fourth in Europe – after turning home Yang Hyun-jun’s flick on to spark a frantic end to proceedings on the night.

While it had been a relatively quiet first hour or so on the left flank for the 27-year-old, he seemingly came alive after shifting into a more central role, having applied the pressure on both Eric Dier and Dayot Upamecano in his usual relentless manner.

Elsewhere, despite conceding twice, the centre-back duo of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty can reflect on an encouraging outing on the big stage, with the pair – who both chalked up a 97% pass accuracy rate – looking relatively calm and composed, while shackling the aforementioned Kane for the large part of proceedings.

A word must also be said for another member of the backline, Alistair Johnston, with the Canadian hardly troubled down that right-hand side all night, having won ten of his 12 total duels, as well as providing an outlet in an attacking sense, after completing 100% of his attempted dribbles.

Key stats – Bayern vs Celtic
Stat	Player
Most touches	Trusty (110)
Most accurate passes	Upamecano (89)
Most key passes	Yang (3)
Most attempted crosses	Engels (10)
Most successful dribbles	Olise & Musiala (2)
Most shots on target	Olise (2)
Most duels won	Johnston (10)
Most possession lost	Engels (23x)
Stats via Sofascore

Ahead of the former Montreal man, it was also another quietly standout night for young Arne Engels, with the club-record signing proving that he’s at home against such a historic European outfit.

The Celtic star whose value is soaring

There’s a reason that Rodgers and Co forked out £11m to sign him over the summer. There’s a reason that at the age of just 21, he’s already chalked up four senior appearances for his country.

The Belgian is no doubt far from the “finished article” – as his manager stated earlier in the campaign – but he’s starting to flourish in the centre of the park, having looked remarkably comfortable up against Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

While he did lose possession on 23 occasions from his 60 touches, Engels was otherwise excellent on the night, racking up two key passes and completing 100% of his attempted dribbles, providing that real link between defence and attack. Indeed, it was the midfield man who teed up Nicolas Kuhn in the opening minute, while also picking out Reo Hatate with a driven pullback on the 50-minute mark.

Not only did the former FC Augsburg man regularly look to link up with Kuhn by bombing forward down the right channel, but he also put a shift in defensively, winning five out of six duels from his midfield berth.

It may still be early days – and no one will wish to see him depart – but young Engels looks like the type of talent who could one day be lining up in Europe’s top five leagues for a team like Bayern, with writer Ryan McGinlay even suggesting that the playmaker “belongs on this stage“.

That bright future in the game can also be seen by the fact that his value continues to soar, with CIES Football Observatory noting that he could now be worth as much as €28m (£23m), ensuring he is worth at least double what the Hoops raked in with the sale of Kyogo Furuhashi.

Celtic’s 85-goal marksman moved on to Rennes for a £10m fee during the January window, with both parties taking the bold move to separate midway through the season.

At the age of 30, such a price tag appeared fair value for the Japanese ace. For Engels, however, the signs already point to Celtic raking in a far heftier sum, in a similar vain to the sales of Jota, Matt O’Riley and Kieran Tierney.

At some stage, it would be no surprise to see the one-time Club Brugge starlet pulling on a Bayern shirt. In the meantime, however, he could be crucial in trying to topple Kompany and Co next week.