Socceroos ace Tom Rogic has received a huge compliment, with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers declaring he’s cut from the same cloth as Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana.
Rogic has been thriving since former Liverpool boss Rodgers took over at the Scottish Premiership club, his stocks continuing to soar with 10 goals from 25 appearances in all competitions.
He’s already equalled last season’s haul of 10 goals in 40 appearances and the 23-year-old’s eye-catching form has prompted Rodgers to draw comparisons with Lallana, the $42 million signing he made in 2014 during his time in charge of the Reds.
“Tom’s got huge potential. His bodywork is as good as you’ll get,” Rodgers told The Scottish Sun.
“He and Lallana are of that same mould where they just roll out of trouble.
“Technically he’s so gifted and physically he’s better now.”
The comparison is huge praise given Lallana’s form in the English Premier League.
The tireless 28-year-old netted his fourth league goal of the campaign in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with West Ham and ran a total 13.7km at Anfield to break his own record for distance covered by any player in the English top flight this season.
If there’s been any criticism of Rogic’s game it’s that he struggles to complete 90 minutes or back up for short turnarounds.
But the the Canberra product showed his improved fitness last week, backing up a 90-minute display against Motherwell – featuring a cracking late winner – with a full Champions League match against Manchester City three days later, when he helped hold Pep Guardiola’s English Premier League giants to a 1-1 draw.
An impressed Rodgers hailed Rogic’s potential.
“Last Saturday (against Motherwell) he played right the way through and was a big player at the end,” he said.
“Sometimes when I sub Tom it’s not necessarily how he’s playing or he can’t last.
“Sometimes I just need to shore up the game with a more defensive-type player.
“His contribution against Manchester City was top class, and the beauty is he’s committed here – he sees this as his place to develop.”
Albo
Guest
Not sure about the comparison as they are very different types of players, even if they play in similar midfield positions. Rogic is certainly in a rich vein of form with Celtic and appears to be improving every game. His 10 goals for Celtic this year have all been gems ( most have been blinders!) and his dominance in midfield is growing. If he can now just translate that form to the International scene for Australia, we can expect plenty more Socceroo success.