Tom Rogic has a future at Celtic and just needs games

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Chris Sutton made his thoughts on Tom Rogic clear on Friday.

The big Englishman has never been shy in giving an opinion. In truth, that’s what makes him one of the most enjoyable pundits to listen to. He’s honest and doesn’t care who his opinion hurts.

But hopefully, Rogic didn’t pick up the Daily Record on Friday. Sutton believes that the performance of Ryan Christie against Lazio proves there’s no way back for Rogic in the number 10 position.

This comes after Christie put in a stunning display against the Serie A side at Parkhead. For 90 minutes, Christie was charging the ball down and giving his all. However, he also scored a crucial equaliser to put his name up in lights once again.

Rogic, meanwhile, struggled when he came on. He showed some nice flashes of footwork, but he was too slow to dictate the game. Despite that, however, that doesn’t mean that there’s “no way back” for the Australian.

Rogic deserves more respect – game-time will do the trick

People can be too quick to forget Rogic’s value to the club. Overall, big Tam has managed 172 matches for Celtic, scoring just under 40 goals for the club.

Over the next two months, Celtic have 16 games of football coming up. That could be 17 if we manage to overcome Hibernian in the Betfred Cup semi-final. That’s a lot of games.

Within that run, Rogic is bound to get plenty of football that will allow him to make his mark at the club. A few performances under his belt is exactly what he needs. But to suggest that there’s no way back is an unfair view of things.

All it takes is for Christie to pick up a knock. Say Rogic was then to jump back into the team and perform to a high standard. If that was the case, plenty of us would be screaming for Lenny to keep him in the team. After all, Christie has taken advantage of Rogic’s injury by powering past him in the race for the number 10 spot. Why can’t the Aussie do the same if given the chance?

He also signed a new long-term contract with the club in the summer of 2018. He’s going nowhere anytime soon.

The season is long, and the road to a potential 10-in-a-row is even longer. We need players like Rogic available to do a turn when asked of them. If he does just that, he’ll be well thought of at Parkhead when he eventually departs.

But his time in Scotland is nowhere near up. A few opportunities in the first-team to build up his fitness levels are all that Rogic needs. Today’s clash at Pittodrie, for example, is a huge chance for the former Central Coast Mariners man to stand out once again. The chances will be there for him – he just has to take them.