Tom Rogic is ‘fit and flying’ again after being rejuvinated by Ange Postecoglou’s arrival at Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, Australia teammate Ryan McGowan told FTBL.
If the writing was on the wall for Rogic under Neil Lennon, Postecoglou scrubbed it out with military-grade tip-ex after signing a one-year deal with the Hoops in June.
The admiration between player and coach is very much a two-way street –Ange once described Rogic as a ‘fantastic‘ talent during their time together at international level – and it was no surprise to see the former Central Coast Mariners star force his way back into the starting XI under a coach who handed him the majority of his 47 Socceroos caps.
Rogic has made 18 appearances in all competitions already this season, a player Rodgers labelled his ‘Magic Man’ rediscovering his magic wand and casting a spell over Premiership defences with those defence-splitting passes and that Anna Pavlova footwork.
How far can Tom Rogic go at Postecoglou’s Celtic?
“Everybody knows the calibre of player he is, and a fit and firing Tom Rogic Is a pleasure to watch and to count as a teammate,” McGowan said ahead of Thursday’s World Cup qualifier with Oman.
“It’s good to see him injury free and stringing together games for his club. It’s probably gone unnoticed a bit but it’s great that he’s moving freely after what was a bit of a stop-start period in his career.
“He has the touch and the vision, and there’s not many players like him in Australia. When he’s in full flow it’s difficult to stop him.
“Ange taking over at Celtic has made a big difference for him. Last season was a bit difficult and he was maybe playing when he possibly shouldn’t have been due to the circumstances around the club at that time.
“Your performances probably suffer a little bit from that. But he’s had a good break and he’s fit and flying – not only for Celtic but also the national team.”
Rogic is not the only member of Graham Arnold’s Australia side enjoying a fine start to the season.
6ft 6ins Harry Souttar has been a marble-carved rock at the heart of Stoke City’s promotion-chasing backline, earning the admiration of Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.
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