Rangers might have to uplift their game furthermore to meet the standard set by Celtic in the top tier this season. The Light Blues have restructured the whole setup under Steven Gerrard with a plethora of new names. Yet they lack the quality Celtic have in terms of experience, and the former Rangers boss Mark Warburton has recently opened up on his time at Ibrox while speaking to The Scottish Sun. The Englishman, currently in charge of QPR, has also singled out Tom Rogic for praise.
“It’s not really good for a Rangers manager to talk about Celtic players. But I would say Tom Rogic. He had the cleverness and the technical ability to unlock defences and was a fine player in the derbies I experienced.”
The Aussie international was pivotal in Celtic’s midfield during Brendan Rodgers’ regime. He used to bridge the gap between deep midfield and the attacking third from his ‘number 10’ role, and also fired in a few spectacular goals since securing a regular status.
What Went Wrong For Rogic In Recent Years
However, the rise of Ryan Christie, as well as persistent injury problems, restricted his gametime at the club over the past couple of campaigns. Neil Lennon is an admirer of Rogic’s on-field excellence but, at the same time, has struggled to reintegrate him in a stable midfield setup comprising of skipper Scott Brown, Callum McGregor along with Christie.
René Meulensteen, the assistant manager of the Socceroos, suggested Rogic leave Parkhead in search of more minutes amid uncertainties over his international career. But Lennon would hopefully be determined to keep hold of the 27-year-old.
Why Lennon Needs To Find A Way To Reintegrate Rogic In His Celtic Setup
Meanwhile, Rogic has only been handed six league starts this term as the majority of his 22 appearances (across all competitions) took place as a substitute (stats via Transfermarket). This must be concerning for a player of his calibre and the gaffer, therefore, should focus on utilising his creativity and vision next season from the middle 0f the park.
Celtic do not have any recognised right-winger other than James Forrest, and Christie’s ability to operate from the wide might make way for Rogic to grab a role in the middle. Having said that, the Australian must improve his work ethics and exhibit more flexibility by adjusting to various roles to stake a claim in the manager’s plannings.
