Jackson Irvine never doubted that Tom Rogic would come good at Celtic.
The Burton Albion midfielder was in the Celtic youth side when Rogic arrived in January 2013 after a brief stint with Central Coast Mariners.
Settling in to a club on the other side of the world is never easy with Neil Lennon’s squad having fierce competition for places in midfield.
After missing the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil through injury it would have been easy for Rogic to head back home but under Brendan Rodgers his Celtic career has taken off.
A new contract was agreed at the start of the season with the Australian playing a key role in Celtic’s success to date both domestically and in Europe.
“Brendan Rodgers has placed his trust in Tom and he won’t have disappointed,” Irvine told SBS as he prepared for Australia’s World Cup qualifier in Thailand.
“When Brendan came to the club, I said at the time he’d be the club’s best signing of the season and it’s been great for the club and also for Tom.
“Last season he was behind four of five players in the pecking order for that role just in behind the strikers but that’s all changed under Brendan Rodgers and he’s been in superb form this season.
“Celtic have been dominant in the league and people are already saying the title is theirs, and Tom’s been a big part of all that.
“We all knew how good he could be, and you’d see that at training in my time at Celtic, and also in games but there was a period when injuries held him back and frustrated him.
“He’s flourishing now and he can be a huge part of the club’s future success. There’s no doubt that Rodgers is getting the best out of him and that’s just what I hoped and expected.”
Australia face Thailand in a Group B World Cup qualifier on Tuesday with Rogic likely to miss out on Celtic’s trip to Kilmarnock on Friday night due to the travel issues.
Since moving to Burton from Ross County in the summer Irvine has made 17 appearances for the Championship side and scored five goals.
