Celtic first-team coach Harry Kewell has expressed his disappointment about the omission of Tom Rogic from the Australian national team squad.
The 29-year-old departed the Hoops in the summer as he looked for new opportunities after a nine-year stay at Celtic Park.
Although Kewell’s arrival came shortly after Rogic’s departure from Parkhead, the former Leeds United and Liverpool man knows all about the midfielder’s qualities.
Which is precisely why Kewell was left surprised to see Rogic left out of the 26-man squad heading for Qatar this month.
Australia boss Graham Arnold’s decision not to select Rogic came after the attacking midfielder took some time in the summer to decide his future.
The ex-Celtic man declined a call-up to the national team due to some ‘personal issues’, before finally signing for English Championship side West Brom.
However, in his short stay in the midlands so far, Rogic hasn’t been able to create enough momentum to secure a last-minute spot on the plane to Qatar.
Although Kewell understands Arnold’s reasoning behind leaving the experienced Aussie international out of the squad, the Celtic coach can’t help but feel he has missed a trick by not selecting Rogic, who would add something different.
He said [SBS]: “Do I believe he’s picked the strongest squad? No. I think he’s missed one or two key players, which is a shame. But he’s on the ground and is there 24/7. He knows exactly what he needs in his team to make this a successful World Cup attempt.
“I hope he’s got it right. I just would have liked to have seen the likes of Tommy Rogic in there. I know Tom hasn’t done the right thing by his career by getting a club earlier, just kind of waiting and drifting it out before last minute he’s got a club. I still would’ve liked to have seen him go because he could have been the difference.
“It’s going to be huge because we’ll be using a lot of our energy in the defensive part of the game. You need fresh legs and someone to hold the ball up, drive the ball, drop the shoulder and get past someone one, allow the back line to get up and give Matty Ryan that little bit of space. He [Rogic] is the player that can do that.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are other players in the squad like Boyle, Mabil and Duke who can all hold it up. But when you have a class player like Tommy Rogic, he could have been the difference in maybe the last 15 minutes in a game.”
Rogic’s Celtic exit might have come at the wrong time as he misses out on World Cup opportunity.
It came as a surprise to many Celtic supporters to hear that Tom Rogic’s time at the club was coming to an end this summer after such a productive season under Ange Postecoglou.
However, after all that the midfielder gave to the club, the Parkhead faithful were always going to be supportive of his next steps.
But, it came as a further surprise to many to see Rogic out of the game for so long, and he was only able to find a new club after the closing of the summer transfer window.
Unfortunately, that looks to have cost him a place at this winter’s World Cup, off the back of arguably one of his best seasons at Parkhead.
It could beg the question, did his exit come at the wrong time? Well, only one man will know the answer to that. Personally, although Rogic might be disappointed with his World Cup omission, he will still back his decision to move on and try other things.
And rightfully so, if that is how he was feeling after his long stay in Glasgow.
It just feels like a bit of an opportunity missed, with this year’s tournament, potentially being a final shot at featuring on the global stage at the peak of his powers.
Ultimately, both parties have moved on and will now be focusing on the future. But, from a personal point of view, it is slightly disappointing we won’t see Rogic in Qatar, as he deserves to be there following a fantastic last campaign.
In other news, Australian international sports classic Celtic strip on World Cup arrival.
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