Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has not started Tom Rogic on too many occasions this season.
On form, there are not many more stylish players in the Scottish Premiership than Tom Rogic.
An artful and technical footballer with a shot like a cannon, the Australian midfielder showcased all the qualities that has Brendan Rodgers referring to him as his ‘magic man’ as Celtic thrashed Ross County 4-0 on Saturday.
And it was Rogic’s thunderbolt effort that set Celtic on their way to a victory that went some way towards recovering from the chastening 5-0 Champions League thrashing at PSG.
The question, however, is why Rogic did not play against the French giants at Parkhead in midweek. Or why he has started just three of Celtic’s Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season.
It is testament to the quality in the Hoops’ squad that Rogic is not an automatic starter. Yet, with Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong the perfect partnership in central midfield and Olivier Ntcham impressing after arriving from Manchester City, the 24-year-old has found starts harder to come by of late.
Therefore, his star turn against Ross County could hardly have been better timed. Rogic possesses that all-too rare ability to win games on his own with a flash of inspiration or a moment of unexpected class.
Perhaps only Armstrong can match Rogic’s ability to shoot from range but there is no other player in Celtic’s squad who makes things tick quite as effectively or efficiently as the Australian around the edge of the box – as Ross County discovered in brutal fashion on Saturday.
If he wants to start every week, he would be hard pushed to perform a better audition.
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