Australia boss Graham Arnold admits he is “concerned” about Tom Rogic.
The former Celtic star left Parkhead in the summer after nearly a decade in the hoops, but has yet to sign for a new club. Arnold is planning ahead for the Socceroos fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup finals campaign after beating Peru in a play-off final.
But whether Rogic will be involved remains to be seen. The midfielder pulled out of the squad for the showdown against Peru, citing “personal reasons.”
Arnold says he’s tried to contact the 29-year-old but hasn't heard back: “I haven’t read anything, I haven’t seen anything … I texted him and didn’t get a reply,” he told Fox Sports “I am concerned about Tommy but I know the PFA are looking into it.”
Rogic had been considering a big-money move to Indonesia after leaving the Premiership champions. Persija Jakarta were in talks with the Aussie, but he opted against signing.
However, he could be set for a return Down Under with A-League teams keen to bring him home. Rogic hasn’t played in his home country since leaving Central Coast Mariners for Celtic in 2013.
But he’ll be keen to get a club sorted soon with Qatar just a few months away. Australia have a two-match series against New Zealand lined up for September as Arnold looks to whittle his 30-man squad down to 26 in time for the finals.
“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,” Arnold said. “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.”
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