Rogic the one Celtic star I'd want, admits ex-Rangers boss

Former Rangers manager Mark Warburton has singled out Tom Rogic as the one Celtic player he'd love to see at Ibrox.

Celtic and Socceroos playmaker Tom Rogic Source: Getty Images

Rogic left quite the impression on Warburton after the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final, where the Socceroos midfielder scored Celtic's equaliser in an eventual derby defeat.

Despite the match falling in Rangers' favour, Warburton relished Rogic's impact for the Hoops and revealed he would have loved to see the 27-year-old switch sides.

"It’s not really good for a Rangers manager to talk about Celtic players. But I would say Tom Rogic," Warburton told The Scottish Sun.

"He had the cleverness and the technical ability to unlock defences and was a fine player in the derbies I experienced."

Warburton, now in charge of Queens Park Rangers, left Ibrox in 2017 after the Glasgow giants failed to keep pace with their record-breaking Old Firm rivals.

"I always emphasised the financial gap, the need to lessen the disparity between the spending power of the two clubs and the absolute requirement for time and patience to build a strong and sustainable challenge," he said of his Rangers stint.

"The simple fact is that Celtic and Brendan Rodgers had their record year, unrivalled in their history, and people panicked.

"I spoke about ‘regressing to the norm’ and was mocked by certain so-called ‘experts’ up there.

"But that is exactly what happened. Time is the one commodity not afforded to managers in Glasgow."