AUSTRALIA manager Graham Arnold says he is 'concerned' about the welfare of former Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic after the playmaker dropped out of the international squad for last month's World Cup play-offs citing personal reasons.
The 29-year-old brought a nine-year stint at Parkhead to a close at the end of last season as he decided to move on from the Scottish champions, and has not been replying to text messages sent by Arnold.
The Australian PFA will perform checks of their own to make sure Rogic is okay but his manager admits to feeling a little anxious.
"I haven’t read anything, I haven’t seen anything … I texted him and didn’t get a reply," Arnold said.
"I am concerned about Tommy but I know the PFA are looking into it."
The Socceroos face New Zealand twice in September, allowing Arnold one last chance to run the rule over his players before selecting a squad for the World Cup.
“With the short turnaround between games, I’ll probably nearly use two different teams, and that gives everyone a good chance then to show me what they’ve got and whether they are ready to go," he added.
“That’s the fairest way to do it. We’ve got a good extended squad now of 30 to 35 players fighting to get into a 26-man World Cup squad.
“The best way to give them a fair chance is to play two different teams against New Zealand, which gives players the opportunity to showcase what they’ve got before we select the squad and to create more depth.”
