Rogic is out of Old Firm clash after Oz battle
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers last night admitted defeat in the tug- of- war to keep Tom Rogic back for the Old Firm derby.
Like Hibs trio Martin Boyle, Jamie Maclaren and Mark Milligan, the Hoops midfielder had been told by Australia to fly out from Scotland on Boxing Day as part of their preparations for the Asian Cup.
But with the Scoceroos’ first game in the tournament not until January 6 against Jordan, both Scottish clubs had been hoping there would be wiggle room to allow for a delayed departure.
“He has made a personal plea but our feeling is he won’t be here, he’s got to go back. We move on,” said Rodgers.
“So Tom will play in the Aberdeen game and then he’ll fly out after that and miss the Rangers game as far as I’m aware, which is a shame for him, a shame for us.
“We feel a sensible compromise could have been taken for all the players in their squad.
“You can’t say it’s the same for everyone because everyone is different.
“Everyone has different needs, play at different clubs, different levels and this is a great game for him to be involved in.
“It’s a shame but we’ll just have to prepare without him.”
Football Federation Australia defended their stance pointing out they have already given players extra time at home to allow them to spend Christmas Day with their families.
FF A’ she ad of performance Luke Casserly explained: “It’s difficult but it is what it is and we have to protect the integrity of our national teams.
“In the UK, in particular, it’s a really busy time and it’s a tough period. But, from our perspective, this tournament is once every four years.
“( Manager) Graham Arnold has been in constant communication with Brendan Rodgers regarding Tom Rogic and the fact is nations like Iran and Saudi Arabia are already in camp.
“We haven’t called everybody in at the first possible opportunity. We’ve allowed them to play games.
“But we have our own work to do to prepare for the tournament, and we have left things as long as we can to help the clubs.
“We will have all the players flying out Christmas night, or Boxing Day night, to assemble in Dubai by December 27.”
Celtic’s matchwinner against Dundee yesterday, Mikey Johnston, insisted he won’t be intimidated by Aberdeen or Rangers if asked to play in either of the club’s big tests this week.
“If I’m asked, I’m going to play, and I just need to show that I can score goals and I can help the team out,” he said.