Tom Rogic was Celtic’s magic man without a wand but he’s key to solving Neil Lennon’s big issue – Chris Sutton

Tom Rogic has been a magic man without his wand for a while.

But the Australian might just be the one who can weave the spells and turn things around for Neil Lennon.

There are several talking points to get stuck into following Celtic’s 3-1 loss to AC Milan.

However, even though it may not have been top of most people’s agenda, the one which stood out for me was the cameo from Rogic.

Let’s be honest, we all thought his days at the club were numbered.

He’s barely been fit and he’s barely started a game for Lennon in the past year and his inactivity left the door open to a move in the summer with places such as Qatar eyed as an option.

Rogic, though, still has something none of his team mates have.

(Image: Ross Parker/SNS Group)

Something that has been sadly lacking at times this term. Craft. Guile. An ability to do something out of the ordinary and special.

The Antipodean gave me signs against Milan that he’s not a busted Parkhead flush.

It was only a short appearance from the bench as he took the place of Scott Brown to give more creativity and that’s what he did. Some of the touches, the positions he took up, the ability.

It’s no secret I’m a fan of his. At one stage during the Brendan Rodgers era, he was a go-to man for big games. You don’t just lose it. Rogic has still got it in there and now would be a mightily important time to produce it.

If I were Neil, I’d be starting him at Aberdeen tomorrow. He’s got the ability to carve Aberdeen apart. Even if you can only get an hour of him, he could have won you the game by then with some magic.

Ryan Christie has great energy. Celtic play with added tempo when he’s in the role. However, sometimes he frustrates you as it can be rushed.

Credit to him for trying to make it happen, but he pushes it.

There are occasions when it just needs some finesse. For someone to relax in a deadly area and Rogic does just that.

(Image: REUTERS/Russell Cheyne)

To be fair to Christie, he made a real difference to the team when he returned from self isolation, yet his appearance from the bench for the second period gave me more questions than answers.

I can’t understand why he didn’t start the game. The changing of the shape at the interval with the introduction of him and Mohamed Elyounoussi made a huge difference and it looked like an admission from the manager that he got it wrong at the beginning by sticking with the 3-5-2 formation which was so dismal against Rangers.

Neil said the medical team told him Christie couldn’t start. I’m not going to argue with that. I’m not privy to those conversations.

But if he could play the second 45 minutes, surely he could have played the first? Surely it’s better to go as strong as possible to start and maybe be 1-0 up at half-time as opposed to 2-0 down?

It’s gone now but he provided a threat which was again lacking.

Neil desperately needs a striker to step up to the plate. Leigh Griffiths and Albian Ajeti got the nod to start and, unlike some observers around me, I wasn’t that impressed with either of them.

They were too far apart. Ajeti held it up at times and Griffiths will always show to his midfield, but they were never in contact. They didn’t link once.

(Image: SNS Group)

Just as three at the back isn’t working, neither is two up top at the moment with Odsonne Edouard not healthy and not in form anyway before his positive Covid test.

It’s horses for courses, but after that second half show against Milan, he’ll surely go with one up in Aberdeen and it’s a flip of the coin who gets it. Ajeti has a good goal to minute ratio this term, but it’s 50-50.

But it’s not 50-50 what happens defensively. They have to shift to the back four.

Diego Laxalt, who looked tenacious and tidy against his old club, and Jeremie Frimpong had an easier time as full-backs and there was more solidity with the four.

Shane Duffy and Kristoffer Ajer need to stop losing poor goals and this might help. Presumably, it can also give Celtic an additional attacking player at Pittodrie and they might need it because there has not been anywhere near enough creativity in the past week.

They needed a performance against Milan even if they didn’t get a result and, second-half, they got one. It now needs to go hand-in-hand with a result in the Granite City.

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It’s not an argument that Neil has lost players in unfortunate circumstances. Injuries to James Forrest and Christopher Jullien haven’t helped in terms of setting the team shape up, but he’s still got plenty if they produce.

Ajeti, Griffiths, Christie and Elyounoussi are all good enough to defeat Aberdeen. And so is Rogic.

The Aussie has previous against the Dons and I genuinely feel this is an opportunity for him to go back into the firing line and recover his reputation as one of Celtic’s main men.