Tom Rogic hasn't always had the most rewarding of times at Celtic. At times sidelined by injuries and others sent back to his native Australia on loan, his career in Glasgow often looked as if it might never achieve lift-off.

Over the last two seasons though he's emerged as one of the prime threats in the Celtic midfield. That was never more true than in the first half of this season when he was arguably the top performer in the early parts of Brendan Rodgers' reign.

Another injury in December meant he would have to sit out of action until April, a four month lay-off that left a void in the middle of the attacking midfield line behind Celtic's lone striker.

In those four months it was the likes of Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong who filled that void and now they've usurped him as first picks ahead of the Australian international.

However, the signs are there he's returning to his best football once again and we reckon it's time for him to be unleashed on the big occasion and take apart Aberdeen this Saturday in the Scottish Cup Final.

Here are THREE reasons why...

He has previous against them

Tom Rogic already has three goals against Derek McInnes' side this season, showing he clearly knows how to hurt them. Perhaps the pick of the bunch was his winner at Pittodrie in a tight 1-0 affair back in October. In a stodgy, hard fought encounter it was the Australian who popped up with a moment of magic.

Don't forget, it was also Rogic who opened the scoring in the last major final between the two sides, this season's Scottish League Cup Final at Hampden. He showed the ruthless streak to bang one in out of nowhere in his typically precise style.

The other goal came in a 4-1 drubbing of the Dons at Celtic Park.

It makes a great case for his inclusion on Saturday. In a match that could well be a battle, Rogic would be a prime candidate to make space for himself in the final third and score from an unlikely situation.

He's peaking again

Rogic is one of six Celtic players to reach double figures in terms of goals this season, scoring 11 overall. However the vast majority of them came in the first half of the season before his injury in December. He went through a streak of 11 appearances before adding to that tally, which came against Partick Thistle last Thursday evening. He's peaking again.

It's been difficult for him to build up match fitness but he's certainly showing he's getting back to his brilliant best. He changed the game coming off the bench against Hearts on the Hoops' trophy day on Sunday, providing the spark they needed to get the win and ensure they went the entire league season unbeaten.

If Rodgers can find the Rogic of the opening months of the season, the one that cause problems not just domestically but also in Europe, then the Hoops could have a cutting edge that Aberdeen are not expecting nor preparing for.

He offers a unique Celtic threat

When Celtic are in rampant form there's not much you can do to combat them, but when there's just a slight lull then teams can find joy in shutting down the likes of Scott Sinclair in the wide areas. The vast majority of the Hoops' attacking play comes down the flanks and over the course of the season we've seen teams combat that directly, leaving a hole to fill in the middle of the park.

Without Rogic Celtic don't really have that unique threat through the middle that can destroy teams. Having the physical presence to assert himself on opposition defences but also the poise, vision and technical ability to either release a killer pass or even finish from distance, the Aussie can fill that void.

There is no other player in the entire Celtic squad that can bang in a long range shot quite like Tom Rogic and in a match that may well descend into a midfield tussle against a determined Aberdeen defence, that could prove vital.