Paolo Bernardo may yet prove to be Celtic’s best summer signing.

The headline stealer this weekend was Luke McCowan, of course, and his performance was absolutely exemplary. There’s also been a lot of ink spilled over the last few weeks about Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, with the latter taking some undeserved criticism. We have a strong midfield—one of the strongest we’ve enjoyed in many, many years.

Everyone is talking about those McCowan and Engels in particular. There’s also chatter about our other summer signings, like Auston Trusty and Adam Idah.

All of these players have impressed to an extent, although Engels is under a little pressure. But the more I watch Paulo Bernardo, the more I wonder if he might not be the most significant of all the signings we made this summer—and perhaps one of the most important in many years. He’s started to show something above and beyond anything I ever expected when he was here last season.

I’m not saying Bernardo had a bad time of it last season—far from it. He was very good in the games where he played. But he didn’t feature enough to make me think he’d become such a critical signing. Over the last few weeks and months, though, he just keeps improving. Every time you watch him, he impresses even more.

His growth as a player with the Portuguese U21 team is obvious. Aside from Callum McGregor, I now rate him as the most technically gifted of our midfielders.

But it’s more than just his technical ability, which is first-rate. Bernardo also has aggression and determination to go with it, and those qualities enhance his technical skills enormously. He’s one of those players you can depend on in a fight. As I wrote earlier about Robin Propper, Bernardo is his polar opposite. He’s a proper warrior with the physical strength to dominate other midfielders.

It was Brendan Rodgers who recognised early on that Bernardo had the qualities he wants in his team. He showed that last season when he chose to play him in big European games over other players fans might have expected to start.

Bernardo hasn’t played as often as Engels or Hatate, and Luke McCowan is getting the big headlines right now for his stunning performance at the weekend. But for me, Bernardo should be one of the first names on the team sheet. He is growing into a midfielder of the very highest calibre.

It doesn’t matter where you play him in the middle of the pitch. As a defensive midfielder, he’s rock solid. As a playmaker, he’s excellent. He’s got a fantastic engine and would excel as a box-to-box midfielder. As an attacking midfielder, he gets among the goals. He scored at the weekend and showed last season—particularly in the cup final—that he can drive at defenders with the ball. That’s a skill every team craves in their midfield.

The other standout thing about Bernardo is his composure. He looks unflappable. He exudes calm and confidence every time he steps on the pitch. And it doesn’t matter who he’s up against, either. He’s just as comfortable in games against our so-called rivals as he is against a lower-league team in a cup tie. He’s equally assured in European football, slotting seamlessly into whichever midfield configuration is required.

Engels will be a top player—there’s no doubt about that. We wouldn’t have paid what we did for him if there were any doubts. And McCowan, at £1.6 million, is the steal of the summer. But the £4.5 million we paid for Bernardo is starting to look like an investment we’ll recoup five times over.

People will have their own ideas about our best midfield, but for me, it must include McGregor and Bernardo. I understand why Rodgers is is rotating the lineup, and I approve wholeheartedly of the strategy, and we’re juggling a lot of talent in that area, and right now, at least, there’s a case for saying Hatate fits more easily into the side as a better attacking option than Engels or Bernardo, although McCowan staked a mighty claim at the weekend.

But Bernardo, to me, is one of our strongest assets. The longer the season goes on, the more indispensable he’s going to become. It’s only a matter of time before he’s one of the first names on the team sheet every week.