Tom Rogic has long enjoyed his reputation at Celtic as the player most likely to conjure something out of nothing.

And according to Brendan Rodgers it is Rogic who can be relied upon to engineer Celtic out of their present difficult spot in Europa League Group B.

The Australian midfielder has a languid grace and elegance about his play – “he doesn’t move so much” – with Rodgers believing his ability to dictate a game without looking as though he has broken sweat is a feature in itself.

“He’s very elusive,” said Rodgers. “He’s so cool and calm and I think he could play in a tuxedo during the game because he just moves so well. He’s fantastic.”

Celtic may well need to draw on that class as they look to take all three points tonight from Leipzig. A win would breathe new life into the Parkhead side’s aspirations of making the knockout phase and Rodgers has acknowledged that it is Rogic who tends to catch the eye on the big occasion.

“You talk to other managers after games and they normally highlight Tom,” said Rodgers.

“The players themselves and other players know the problems he causes.

“He’s got an in-built brain for football. How to receive the ball, the space and you just need to put him into a structure and a framework to get the ball and into areas where he can hurt teams.

“The game that stands out for me in Europe is Manchester City away.

“His ability to take the ball, his quality and he was in rhythm at that point.

“Tom’s got great tools that can help us as a team and he’s that creative player you need at the level that can make the difference for us.”

The one accusation that tends to be levelled at Rogic revolves around a perceived lack of fitness. There is a suspicion that he struggles to last the entirety of a game on a consistent basis but it is a criticism that Rodgers has dismissed as entirely unfounded.

“He can last a game,” said Rodgers. “Makes no bones about it. We play so many games. There are just moments in games when you might be trying to shore it up and you just want to keep the energy in the team.

“You change it slightly. Or you are trying to conserve his energy for another game.

“If you have comfort in a game, you can take him off.

“Maybe it was something before that was labelled at him, but he can last a game no problem.

“It was unfair. He’s just got that languid style and it doesn’t change from the first minute.

“The time you look at him in the 70th minute and he’s still got that style, so he maybe looks tired.

“But he’s not. It’s just his way. Just his style.

“Tom’s got good fitness. We’ve been managing some issues with him around certain aspects, but he’s a fantastic player and what’s been great to see is his personality grow in these last couple of years to really impose himself in games. He’s not frightened to be the big player.

“Evidence shows you that. That’s great to see that he puts himself into these big occasions and wants to perform.”

Another player who looks capable of performing at the top level, Filip Benkovic, should offer Celtic some solidity at the back.

Injuries to central defenders has been a recurring theme of Celtic’s recent European adventures – as has shipping cheap goals – but the availability of the Croatian is a bonus given the unflappable start he has had to his Parkhead career.

“Filip has a good presence,” said Rodgers. “He wins the first header all the time. His positioning is good, his ability to step in and press is good and with top defenders they need to be able to play with the ball. He and Dedryck Boyata have shown that they give us real stability at the back.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers has also insisted that he won’t “cry” about the current furore over the flouting of financial fair play regulations. Manchester City and PSG, both of whom Celtic have played in recent Champions League groups, stand accused of fraud in an attempt to dodge sanctions regarding their vast spending.

Both clubs, owned and bankrolled by wealth from Qatar and Abu Dhabi respectively, have avoided the most severe financial fair play punishment of being excluded from the UEFA Champions League.

UEFA rules say clubs cannot spend more than they earn in any given season and deficits must fall within a £30 million-euro limit over three seasons. But it has been alleged that UEFA were complicit in aiding the clubs to avoid the most severe punishment.

Rodgers, though, believes that clubs will always find a way to bend the rules if they have the money behind them to spend.

“It’s football,” he said. “Clubs will always find a way. The one thing I would say about Manchester City is that to improve so quickly, you have to spend. You don’t go from where they were to where they are without spending. If we could do it we would to do it in a certain way. How they want to do it is a good way. They want to develop infrastructure and they are competing at the very top level of the game where everyone spends money. What they have had to do is spend it quickly in order to grow quickly. If you don’t have those resources you have to find other ways but you still have to keep growing. PSG are the same. To move quickly they had to spend it quickly. I don’t cry about it.”