Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers doesn't strike you as being a big Jessie J fan... However, when it comes to Arne Engels, the Irishman doesn't care about the price tag.

The club transfer record fee of £11 million that the Scottish champions forked out to Bundesliga outfit Augsburg in the summer has been weighing heavily on the Belgian's neck like an albatross of late.

In recent matches, Engels has struggled to make any significant impact on proceedings and lasted just 58 minutes during Celtic's 1-1 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League at Parkhead in midweek. There have been increasing calls from the Celtic supporters for Rodgers to rest Engels and replace him with Portuguese under-21 skipper Paulo Bernardo in the starting lineup.

The 51-year-old flipped a metaphorical 'bird' to the doubters as he launched a defence of the midfielder as he outlined the three steps that will help transform the 21-year-old Belgian into a class act for Celtic. The wily Rodgers has been in this movie before not least with Engels teammates Bernardo and Khun who both suffered the early slings and arrows of outrageous fortune only to turn that negative narrative on its head.

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Rodgers said: "In life, it is a challenge now for anyone, but I think the most recent example of that would be Paulo Bernardo. He was the same if I remember back. Highlighting Paulo in his performances this time last year, and now he can't be cheered on loud enough when he enters onto the pitch. That's called development. It's called patience. It's called time.

"Arne is a fantastic young player, otherwise we wouldn't have brought him here. He doesn't set the price. He's come here to a big club to improve his game. I've got no doubt he will do that. Hopefully, I know it won't be the case, but I would hope that people will learn their lesson. Seeing people that were writing off Paolo and Nicolas Kuhn, it'll be Arne Engels, it'll be someone else.

"You have to look and see and understand that development takes time. Some will hit the ground running and be fine and adapt perfectly, but not everyone is like that, especially a young player. I've been pleased since he's come in because I know the future for him. He will improve, he will develop and get better. We've seen it so many times. "

Another player whose performances have also been placed under the harsh supporter's microscope is Adam Idah. The Republic of Ireland striker is averaging a goal every 70 minutes for the club. Rather like teammate Engels, Rodgers was adamant that Celtic should splash out £8.5 million on the attacker from Norwich City after he bagged the winner against Rangers at Hampden Park in last season's Scottish Cup final.

Whilst Idah admitted that he wasn't jumping for joy at the start he has made to his Celtic career as a permanent player, Rodgers has every faith in the 23-year-old to deliver on the big stage just as he did against Serie A side Atalanta in Bergamo in the Champions League last month during the highly creditable goalless draw. The former Liverpool and Leicester head coach is well aware that playing for such a huge club like Celtic carries with it the massive burden of expectation and players can be hard on themselves whenever things do not go according to plan.

Rodgers said: "It's a trap. I think probably because there's a lot more information out there now, there's a lot more comment on players through whatever social media and all the various channels of information and knowledge that they can pick up. I think then that can feed into it, but that's my job to control that.

"Adam, between January and the end of the season, he was really at the top of his game. He knows that and we know that. So I don't worry about Adam, I know what he can do, and every supporter should know what he does when you've seen what he brought to us. He came back really late in pre-season, so he wasn't up to speed physically and that has probably held him back a little bit, but I can now start to see him growing and getting better.

"He's played well for us in certain games. The Atalanta performance was a big performance by him. He doesn't score, but it's not always about scoring. As a striker, you bring other people into the game. So I've got no worries about Adam Idah. He was a player we really wanted to bring here. We've seen the contribution that he made. We see the potential that he has. Likewise, a player who's still developing and learning, but he's still capable of coming in and affecting the team.

"Yes, I think it's always the pressure when you come to play up here. I think the scrutiny is on you. You're going to have your critics. Sometimes it's deserved, sometimes it's not. But either way, a lot of the time you don't have the last word, but you do have your chance on the pitch to show what you can do.

"So I've got no doubt. But like every player, whether they're young or old, you're not immune to it. You know what's been said. He only really needs to worry about his teammates and ourselves and his development and coaching. He's such a young player with a lot of potential. And that's why we brought him here. He's not the finished article."

(Image: Ross Parker - SNS Group)

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Having broken their respective records in terms of transfer fees with the captures of Engels and Idah in the summer, the focus of attention quickly switched to the January transfer window and what input Paul Tisdale would have on recruitment after he was appointed Head of Football Operations with the Scottish champions last month.

Rodgers said: "Yeah, I think it'll be a big benefit for us. Paul came in here during the summer to help. I control a lot of the core performance of the team, the B team and everything else that goes around that, media, everything else.

"There's a side that runs beside that, which is, for me, the strategic operation of the club. And I felt there was a gap there in that. So I wanted to bring someone in just to see how that would go. Paul, not only has he managed before, which gives me comfort, he knows what it's like to be in the shoes of a manager, but he also understands the business side.

"So I felt that having someone in to help support that organisation and a lot of the logistics that go on at that level, from recruitment to academy to admit and for me, a modern club needs that. If you're going to progress, you need that operation because if I'm out on the pitch and doing all the stuff there, it still needs to go on down here.

"The business side of the club has run immaculately. You only need to look at Celtic over many, many years. But from a strategy perspective, that was Paul's role. So he links in very closely with Michael and myself, along with Dermot, in terms of the strategy.  We converse a lot, we speak a lot, and he will bring his strength to that role.

"He's been very busy. Even if we're not just looking for January, it's beyond. We get meetings this afternoon around our young players and looking at that strategy. So it's ongoing. I always say you can't wait for the future to plan for the future. You've got to be looking at it now to look forward, and the club's in a great place, we're in a great moment, but we have to always look forward.

"That is a part of his role, to oversee that and to make sure that we are in the best possible position as a football club to grow that department in order to get the best players in so that we can perform."

(Image: Paul Devlin - SNS Group)

It's back to the bread-and-butter of the Scottish Premiership for Celtic tomorrow as they entertain Ross County at Parkhead. There will be a familiar face in the opposing technical area as Rodgers comes up against Don Cowie whom he managed during a brief spell with Watford. 

It took a late Nicolas Kuhn goal to settle the issue 2-1 in Celtic's favour in Dingwall back in October.

Rodgers's side also the added advantage of playing 24 hours before rivals Aberdeen and Rangers and could move five points clear of the Reds and 14 ahead of Rangers before either side has kicked a ball in anger on Sunday.

Can the champions turn the screw for the second week running and apply even more 'scoreboard pressure'?

Rodgers said: "I think Ross County be very determined. I know Don (Cowie) well, he was my first-ever signing as a manager at Watford. He cost me 50 grand, I think he was, and he did brilliant for me at Watford. So I've known him since those days. I've always been in contact with him and followed him.

"He worked closely with Malky (Mackay) and then he went out on his own. I think he's done a good job. The game that we played up there, I think it could be a similar type of game. They were super organised, they all knew the job, they all knew the role, and we had to work very hard at the end to get the result.

"So, I will expect a similar game. They'll carry a threat in various moments, but for us, we're at home, and we love playing at home. We want to be at home, we want to showcase our energy, and our attitude in the game, and that's what we'll look to bring. So, it will be a tough game, I'm sure."