Celtic star Tom Rogic will miss out for Australia when they meet Lebanon on Tuesday as he nurses an ongoing knee injury.
The Hoops favourite turned out for Australia against South Korea in a 1-1 draw on Saturday, with Massimo Luongo’s scoring a 94th-minute equaliser for the Socceroos.
Rogic will however not be risked by manager Graham Arnold when they meet Lebanon in another friendly in Sydney, with a recurring knee issue revealed to be the reason behind the decision.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, manager Graham Arnold said: “There is a short turnaround to Tuesday’s match against Lebanon so Tom Rogic and Robbie Kruse, who both performed well on Saturday evening but have minor knee and groin injuries respectively, won’t be risked.”
OPINION
This is a slightly worrying update for Celtic, with Rogic obviously carrying a niggle in his knee which will need to be managed over the coming weeks. The Hoops will likely have been well aware of the problem already, and will be grateful to Graham Arnold for deciding against another appearance for the midfielder over the international break. The issue does not look to be serious and Rogic should therefore be available for the Hoops when they return to action against Hamilton next Saturday. Having the Australia international fit and firing will be key for the Bhoys if they want to make a success of this season, with Rogic being a key cog in their midfield and attack. Managing this injury properly will therefore be of paramount importance in the coming weeks, and fingers must be crossed that the problem does not worsen and put Rogic out for an extended period of time.