Tom Rogic and the Celtic alarm bells that should be ringing in his head - Michael Gannon
The Australian is on the sidelines again and the pursuit of David Turnbull proves the Hoops are in the market for alternatives.

Michael Gannon
06:00, 30 JUN 2019 UPDATED11:49, 30 JUN 2019

Peeking in on Celtic ’s pre-season training is a real eye-opener as well as a blow to the morale to any chubby middle-aged observer.

It’s not exactly a good look sweating like one of those Chernobyl miners when you are just standing around in the 35ºC heat in Austria while the players are going at it hammer and tongs.

Talk about red-faced.

But it’s interesting watching the likes of Callum McGregor slogging it out and still kicking about with a smile on his face.

There’s no way the guy is human. The Duracell Bunny would struggle to keep up, never mind his team-mates.

McGregor defies belief on the training ground but there is a couple of other things that stand out when spying on Celtic pre-season.

Leigh Griffiths back in the mix is huge.

But Tom Rogic staying in Scotland is every bit as big and the player himself is set to miss the opening Champions League qualifier against Sarajevo.

These are important days for two guys who have played such important roles in Celtic’s success in recent years.

One is here in Austria, busting a gut to get his career back on track.

The other is at home, nursing the latest injury and in danger of becoming a forgotten man.

Griffiths and Rogic have been companions over the past 18 months, the guys on the bikes while their pals are on the park.

For all the talk of new signings, Celtic could really do with both of them out of the gym and back where it matters.

Griffiths is on the way at least. It was brilliant to see him on the pitch in midweek. It didn’t matter he was a good bit off the pace and his first touch wasn’t quite there.

But it wasn’t just about getting a game. It was about a guy taking a huge step to getting his life back in order.

Fair play to wee Leigh. He could have stonewalled any chat with the press about these lost last seven months.

Instead, he fronted up. Tackled the hard questions head on and gave honest, sometimes brutal, answers.

It’s become a bit old hat hearing sports folk talking about mental health.

Thankfully, the stigma has completely gone and the man himself treated his problems the same way he would handle a busted knee.

He’s still got a way to go and no doubt there will be battles ahead, but Griff’s got the bit between his teeth again – and that can only be good news for Celtic and Scotland.

But what about Rogic? He must drive his manager up a pole and is set for another spell on the sidelines.

It’s not the player’s fault he is injured but it’s a frequent theme and, when it happens so often, it can’t be down to coincidence.

Rogic is the most talented player at Parkhead.

He’s a big-game player and should be an absolute superstar.

But the fact he’s barely mentioned these days speaks volumes.

At 26 years old he should be in his prime but there are still lingering doubts about his general fitness.

Rogic made 35 appearances for Celtic last season but lasted 90 minutes just 11 times.

It’s become something of a gag at Parkhead, seeing the Aussie running out of puff after an hour.

When he was younger it was easy to blame his part-time youth career – but those days are long gone.

Rogic is in danger of becoming the new Paddy McCourt. A player with bags of ability but lungs like Tesco poly bags.

When fit and firing, there’s no one like Rogic at Celtic.

He can win games on his own, unlocking defences with a drop of a shoulder and a swing of his wand-like left peg. But too often he’ll break down and every tweak ends up being eight weeks on the treatment table.

Neil Lennon will light a fire under him, just as he’ll give Griffiths the tough love he needs, but it should set off alarm bells for the Aussie when he hears his gaffer talking about looking for one or two attacking playmakers.

The move for David Turnbull might have fallen through but it should have been a major wake-up call.

Celtic are searching for a No.10 when they already have a blockbuster one on the books.

Griffiths is sweating buckets to get back – but Rogic is in danger of being frozen out.