TOM ROGIC was a pleasant surprise in Paisley when he reminded the Celtic fans that he is a half-decent player. In fact, he probably reminded a few that he was still at the club.

The Australian was excellent in the 2-0 win over Den Bosch on Wednesday night, especially in the first half when he and Gary Mackay-Steven ran the game.

Rogic, 22, missed a year of his career because of a groin injury he suffered in 2014 and his hour-long showing at St Mirren Park at least hinted that he could be an option for Ronny Deila this season.

The midfielder admitted he is desperate to impress his manager and get his football life back on track. Rogic said: “I’ve done every session since the summer break and I’m back in full training with the squad.

“Pre-season has been really positive for me and everything that the manager wants has been all with the football.

“My fitness felt okay and I got an hour under my belt alongside most of the boys that started, so it was good.

“It was good to be out on the park in a proper first-team match, which I haven’t been in for some time. The manager has proved in the last year that he’s quite good at encouraging younger players and he gives you a lot of confidence to play for him.

“I know it’s early, but I enjoyed playing my first game for him and hopefully we can kick on from here.”

Rogic is a talent, but the fact he has managed only 15 games in three seasons for Celtic tells its own story, which is why he refuses to get carried away over his long-term prospects.

He told the club website: “You just have to wait and see how pre-season goes. It was only a couple of days ago that we got the full squad back in for pre-season. The games are coming thick and fast, so it’s good for the squad to have everyone competing for places. It’s a good first match, a good start and hopefully we’ll just build on that.”