Emerging Socceroo Tom Rogic wants to bounce back from injury and prove his worth at Celtic despite being urged to move from the Scottish powerhouse.
The future of Rogic, and incumbent Socceroos captain Lucas Neill, are hot topics as FIFA’s January transfer window prepares to open.
The 21-year-old Rogic has battled for game time at Celtic, playing just 14 games – nine of them as a substitute.
The influential midfielder, a key plank in the Socceroos’ rebuild under new coach Ange Postecoglou, has been encouraged to seek greater opportunities elsewhere.
Postecoglou has openly supported a move by Rogic to Japan, where he could reunite with his former boss at the Central Coast Mariners, Graham Arnold, now coaching J-League club Vegalta Sendai.
Arnold has also publicly said he would love to seek a loan deal for Rogic.
But Celtic manager Neil Lennon has indicated he won’t transfer Rogic, believing the Australian will get sufficient game time when fully fit to satisfy Australia and Postecoglou ahead of the World Cup in Brazil next June.
Rogic has only recently recovered from a calf injury and was an un-used substitute in Celtic’s most recent match two days ago.
“I have had a few injuries, which is a bit unfortunate,” Rogic told Celtic’s website.
“But it’s just part of the game. And it’s how you cope with it and bounce back from it which is important.”
Rogic has suffered a series of niggling injuries in the first six months of Celtic’s campaign but, while not featuring as much as he would have liked, said he had improved as a player.
“It’s definitely helpful as you’re training alongside people every day like Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew and I think you can only get better when you are playing alongside good players,” he said.
Neill’s future also remains uncertain with the Socceroo stalwart currently without a club after ending his stint in the J-League with Omiya Ardija.
Postecoglou has said Neill needs regular action to press his claims for inclusion in the World Cup squad.
The 35-year-old Neill, who has played only 15 club games in the past year, has reportedly been shopped to A-League clubs with none declaring genuine interest so far.
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