Celtic winger Scott Sinclair has tried to shoot down his naysayers at Parkhead by lifting the lid on his fall from senior star to fringe figure in 2018.
The English wide man was one of the Hoops’ top performers in Brendan Rodgers’ first season in charge, scoring a sensational 25 goals and chipping in with a first 11 assists on the way to the first treble at the club.
His second season was less impressive, starting brightly in 2017 with a handful of goals in both domestic and European football, before the new year saw him go off the boil with just two league goals, and his poor form has continued into the 2018/19 season eight starts from a possible 25 and four goals in his 20 outings.
However, the 5’9″ forward (source: Transfermarkt) has insisted that despite his fall from grace he still has plenty to offer the side, shooting the doubters at Celtic Park down.
He told the Scottish Sun: ““I didn’t feel like I’d lost any of my confidence. I’ve always believed in myself, I know what I can do. I’ve shown that here. After being Player of the Year in my first season, I felt the expectation from the supporters to do something special.
“Maybe opposition teams were also trying to man-mark or double team me in certain games. They were trying to stop me dribbling and scoring goals. But it’s up to me to come up with different ways and find solutions.
“But the quality I showed a couple of seasons ago was proof of what I can do. It’s just about getting back up to that same level again. Everyone knows I can do it.”
Opinion
Sinclair looked washed up at Celtic after an impressive season and a half but it is good to see him showing the mental resolve to try and bounce back and ignore the boo-boys at Parkhead – even if their criticisms hold some weight. It is true that Sinclair has not looked like the same player he was when he first arrived in recent months and whether that is because his quality has lessened or the opposition have figured out how to silence him, only the winger himself will know. What seems certain is that despite his past record he is not guaranteed a place under Brendan Rodgers any more and he faces a fight to work his way back into the starting XI on a regular basis. With the form that James Forrest has been in and the consistency of Callum McGregor, that is going to be a tough ask and it will require Sinclair doing everything possible to change his manager’s mind. He also has a fair few individuals in the stands that he needs to convince, for he is not the firm favourite he once was in the hooped half of Glasgow.