Scott McDonals says he’s very surprised Celtic are allowing Tom Rogic to leave the club.
The Australian turned down a move to Qatar this month but the fact Celtic had accepted a bit came as a shock to the former Celtic striker.
Tom has been pivotal during Celtic’s unprecedented run of success but injuries have played their part. Between being injured and Ryan Christie’s emergence, Tom has hardly had a look in since he signed his new five-year deal.
McDonald believes Rogic still has a lot to give for the club and questioned if Neil Lennon has ever fancied him as a player.
“I’m surprised Celtic are allowing Tom Rogic to leave, because he’s got such experience.” McDonald told SunSport.
“There’s no question he’s still a quality player, but he needs to fit into the right kind of system, and I don’t think Neil Lennon’s playing that system.
“There will be no one more frustrated than Rogic himself. He’s been at Celtic for seven years now and had some great success.
“He was one of the key players in that Invincible Treble year and beyond that through Brendan Rodgers’ tenure.
“When Lenny took the job, Rogic had quite a few injuries and he’s just not been able to find his way into Lenny’s line-up.
“Between him and Neil Lennon, it’s a funny one. I don’t think he played much the first time Neil was there, although he was a lot younger then.
“Lenny is obviously going for someone he feels has got more legs and you can’t really argue with Ryan Christie’s performances.
“But in terms of Celtic’s squad, if you lose Tom it’s looking a bit threadbare.
“Especially in those key areas where Rogic is a match winner and can come on and change a game for you.”
He added: “It would be very hard for Rogic to get back playing regularly at Celtic. I’m not saying it’s going to be impossible, but the impression has been laid down by Lennon already.
“If that’s the case, what’s Tom to do? The manager has the final say. Rogic would probably be an impact player for the rest of the season if he stays.
“But things can change quickly with injuries, or Rogic comes on and does really well, Lenny can change his mind.
“The truth is Celtic accepted a bid, so it tells you everything with where Tom is at the moment.”
A source at the club told us Neil Lennon has never been high on the midfielder, which would explain why a bid was accepted.
Tom might not give you 90 minutes and 60 games a season but he has the ability to turn games on their head and add spark to a lifeless game out of nowhere. As a squad player, Tom is worth keeping around, if you ask me.
There’s still a lot of this window to go, I’d be surprised if more clubs don’t become interested in the Australian.
