Robbie Slater says Socceroo Tom Rogic must leave Celtic if he can't get first-team football Tom Rogic may need to leave Celtic to get game time ahead of the World Cup. THE next six weeks are crucial in the young career of Socceroos star Tommy Rogic. If he hasn't cracked Celtic's first team by Christmas, he needs to book the first flight out of Scotland on January 1 and get to a club prepared to throw him a shirt on game day. It's tough for any youngster to initiate a loan deal from a club with the reputation of Celtic. While I'm sure Rogic believes he can still win a spot there - and no one doubts his potential - game time is everything leading up to next year's World Cup. I've seen careers wither on the pine and we don't want to see that with Tommy. He's too good to sit on the bench. Rogic isn't on his own here, either. Robbie Kruse is only being used in cameo roles at Bayer Leverkusen. The Bundesliga is a good testing ground, still it's wasted if you aren't getting enough football in his legs. Veterans Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill could also be looking at short-term deals come the transfer window in January. The A-League looms as a possible destination - and how good would that be. With limited internationals between now and Brazil, what happens at club level takes on extra significance. The situation with Rogic is compounded by the four-month ban facing Mark Bresciano over his so-called illegal transfer. Ange Postecoglou made it clear when he became coach that you had to be playing regularly at club level to be assured of a World Cup berth. The biggest concern is Rogic, because he's the type of player we should be looking to develop. It would be such a pity if he missed out on Brazil. I didn't agree with his move to Celtic in the first place. They are a massive club, yes, but they dominate a Scottish league that's frankly not very good. With the demise of Rangers, they are a shark in a pond of fish fingers. Celtic win just about every game they play and there can be little need or inclination to try someone new, no matter how prodigious the talent. Rogic is a fine prospect. There is no one else like him in the Australian team. In half an hour against Costa Rica last Tuesday, we caught an exciting glimpse of his promise. Not since Harry Kewell in his pomp have we seen an Australian player who can just breeze past defenders and break the lines. He has quick feet, sharp mind and time on the ball. There has been talk of a possible reunion with Graham Arnold at Sendai. Arnold was the person who nurtured Rogic and knows his game so well from his time at the Mariners. He would give him exactly what he needs. While his long-term future remains in Europe, a brief stint in the J-League won't do Rogic any harm at all. While it was easy to get excited by the likes of Rogic and Kruse last Tuesday night, Cahill again proved he's the country's go-to man. It was brilliant to see him equal Damian Mori's goalscoring record on home soil in Sydney and Cahill is the heart and soul of Australian football. Robbie Kruse isn't getting stats at Bayer Leverkusen. When he comes on, it lifts everyone - the crowd, his teammates and the coaching staff. You expect something to happen when he's on the park. He turns 34 next month, but he's always energetic and it rubs off on everyone. To be fair, Costa Rica didn't offer much - they were inferior to some of the teams we face in Asia - but there was still something for Postecoglou to build on - especially with the youngsters. We saw the future with Rogic. Whether he's the present depends on his next move. The upside is the World Cup would give him a window to the world.