‘Fantastic’, ‘Premier League quality’: International coach hails Celtic 27-year-old linked with exit

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Celtic attacking midfielder Tom Rogic is a “fantastic” player with “Premier League quality”, Rene Meulensteen is quoted by the Daily Record as saying.

The Australia head coach is also surprised that the Hoops man is apparently on the verge of a move to Qatar as opposed to a leading European side.

Rogic has been with Celtic since 2013, when he made the move from Australia’s Central Coast Mariners.

The 27-year-old has made 189 competitive appearances for the Bhoys, claiming 38 goals and 34 assists, but injuries have hampered much of his time in Glasgow.

Now, Rogic is believed to be on the brink of a £4million switch to Qatar, with Goal.com claiming Celtic and the player are pulling in different directions despite the Hoops wanting to retain his services.

While a switch to the Middle East isn’t expected to impact his Australia career, Meulensteen is surprised that Rogic isn’t getting a bigger move.

He is quoted by the Daily Record as saying: “I’m really quite surprised a Premier League club, or a top Championship team, or even a team elsewhere in Europe that’s pushing for Champions League or Europa League hasn’t come for him.

“He’s at a great age and has fantastic qualities and is tactically also very intelligent. Used well, in the right system, he can be a big asset for a lot of teams.

“He has Premier League quality, but you need to adapt in your mindset because stepping onto the pitch at Celtic you know you’re probably going to win. That’s not the case in the Premier League where you have to do far more without the ball and it’s a lot more demanding.”

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Rogic is an incredibly talented player who just hasn’t had the best luck injury-wise while at Celtic, though reports of his imminent departure over the last few days received a negative reaction from plenty of Celtic fans on Twitter, who’d have preferred him to stay.

Despite being fit, he hasn’t featured for Neil Lennon’s side yet this season, being named in two matchday squads and missing out on the other two, and if he’s now surplus to requirements, then a parting of the ways is probably best.