Prior to the current international break, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill's future was thrown into doubt when he admitted that he would have to consider his future at the club.

Talk over his situation at Parkhead was quickly silenced, though, as the club gave him their backing, and there has been nothing during the break to suggest that he is going anywhere any time soon.

The Hoops lost their three games before the break, losing twice to Rangers and once to Ferencvaros, and the Northern Irish coach will currently be plotting a route back to success on the other side of the break.

One of the reasons why the manager believes that the Scottish Premiership giants are struggling is because of the sale of midfielder Arne Engels in the summer transfer window.

Why O'Neill was left frustrated with the Engels sale

Celtic sold the Belgium international to West Ham United for a fee of £22m near the end of the window, after he scored 17 goals and provided 22 assists in 100 matches for the club in all competitions.

Speaking after the window, O'Neill said: "Trying to get a like for like (for Engels), we looked at a number of players who could do that. For one reason or another, it didn't materialise. He's been a loss in terms of that running power he can give you.

He added: "In an ideal world, it would have been great to have the likes of Arne. Will we look at that again in January? You'd have to. Very much so."

O'Neill lost a significant attacking threat from his midfield when the Belgian left to move to England, and Parma loanee Oliver Sorensen has yet to even come close to replacing him, with no goal contributions in his first four matches.

The Northern Irish boss has been left frustrated by the failure to replace the midfielder's quality, but that could change if he gives one of his lesser-seen players a chance.

Celtic have already signed their next Arne Engels

Sorensen has been given opportunities to shine in the number ten role, playing four times, and he should be dropped to make way for a player who has yet to play a single minute for the Scottish giants.

Towards the end of the summer transfer window, Celtic swooped to sign central midfielder Joel van den Berg from Dutch giants PSV for a fee of £3.4m to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

The 19-year-old talent has yet to be given an opportunity to play for the Scottish giants, unlike Sorensen, as he was an unused substitute for the Premiership wins against St Mirren and St. Johnstone last month.

After being left on the bench for those matches, the Dutchman was spotted in a protective boot before the game against Rangers at Parkhead, and it remains to be seen how long he is set to be out for through injury.

As soon as he is back and available for selection, though, O'Neill must provide the teenage maestro with a chance to show that he can be Celtic's new version of Engels.

The veteran coach is frustrated with the club's failure to adequately replace the Belgian star, but he may change his tune if van den Berg can carry his form from last season over to Scottish football.

In the 2025/26 campaign, van den Berg racked up double digits for goal contributions for PSV's reserve side in the second tier of Dutch football, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.

The right-footed starlet showcased goalscoring pedigree, creativity, dribbling skills, and physicality in his duels throughout the season, showing that he has the potential to be a complete midfielder for the Hoops.

Like Engels, van den Berg is a central midfielder who has the ability to influence matches as both a scorer and a creator of goals, as evidenced by his form in the 2025/26 campaign.

Celtic paid a fairly significant fee for a teenager, paying £3.4m, to bring him to Glasgow, which suggests that they see big potential in him, and it is now down to O'Neill to extract that potential from him.

The Hoops boss may be unhappy with the Engels situation at this moment in time, due to Sorensen's struggles, but the emergence of van den Berg, who has yet to play a single minute, could flip his mood around.