Australia’s assistant manager urges Celtic star to depart club – Should the club pay heed?

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Why Celtic selling Tom Rogic would be ideal for both parties

According to The Sun, Celtic star Tom Rogic has been urged by Australia’s assistant manager Rene Meulensteen to move away from Celtic Park for a different challenge.

Rogic, 27, came through the youth ranks of Australian National University FC and joined Central Coast in 2012. After 28 appearances for the A-league outfit, he earned a move to Celtic a year later and established himself as a key figure in the Hoops squad over the years.

He has made 188 appearances for the Scottish giants while lifting the league time 6 times and the Scottish Cup 4 times. After initially struggling for game time, he became a regular starter for three years but later on, a series of injuries hampered his progress and missed the best part of the league in each of his last three seasons.

Tom Rogic (Getty Images)
Tom Rogic (Getty Images)

He has been prone to injuries and has featured in only 15 games this season, in bit-part roles. Hence, it would be the right time for Neil Lennon to sell the Australian, who can revive his career elsewhere.

Despite being knocked out form the Europa League, Lennon’s men have been in terrific form throughout the campaign. They are currently on top of the league table and earlier lifted the Scottish Cup by defeating Rangers in the finals. They have also progressed to the semi-finals of the SFA Cup after beating St. Johnstone.

Celtic have a huge squad with a plethora of attacking talents and are riding high on the success of Odsonne Edouard, who has been scoring frequently. In the creativity department, they have Ryan Christie and Callum McGregor in their ranks, both of whom have been in terrific form.

While Christie has racked up 11 goals and 11 assists in 23 games, McGregor has 8 goals and 7 assists to his name in the league. They have done a good job and are likely to remain as the first choices under the manager, leaving Rogic on the bench. Hence, it would be wise of Celtic to reduce the numbers in the same position and hence, must decide to sell the Australian.

Tom Rogic (Getty Images)
Tom Rogic (Getty Images)

The 27-year-old may not get regular opportunities due to the good run of form of the Scottish duo and Celtic would be wasting their resources on a player who has eventually fallen down the pecking order and is mostly on the bench.

Therefore, the Australian must look for an exit and revive his career elsewhere so that he could be fit in time to be selected for the national team.

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Verdict

Celtic must look to cut-short their squad to make space for new signings in the summer. They can bring in bring reinforcements to add depth to other key areas and therefore, parting ways with Rogic would be the best choice for both the club and the player.