OPINION
The form of Scott Sinclair has been a point of contention for Celtic fans in the last year or so, with the 29-year-old going from dazzling winger to damp squib.
Sinclair was the best player in Scotland during the Hoops’ unbeaten season, deservedly winning the SFA Player of the Year award after scoring an incredible 25 goals in all competitions from the wing.
He followed that up with another solid season, with Sinclair not quite hitting those heights but still managing 18 goals and 17 assists in all competitions.
However, despite his commendable record that season, it was notable that most of his goals and good form came in the first half of the season, with Sinclair tailing off alarmingly towards the conclusion of the campaign.
That lack of form has now continued into this season, with the winger managing just five goals and five assists in all competitions so far.
Obviously players cannot be judge solely on numbers, but Sinclair’s play in general has been extremely poor, and his performance in their 2-1 loss against Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday really summed it up.
Sinclair was poor all game for the Hoops, who only qualified thanks to the other result going their way, and Chris Sutton has now delivered a significantly more brutal verdict on the winger in a column for the Daily Record.
“Scott Sinclair has run out of chances for me. He was in and out of the side when his form dipped but Rodgers has given him a run but it’s not been good enough,” he said.
Obviously Sutton is known for his outspoken and sometimes harsh verdicts, but it is hard to argue with him here.
Time is slowly running out for mainstay Sinclair at Parkhead – the winger has simply not been up to standard for the club for the past year or so, with there being little sign of that changing anytime soon.
If his form does not pick up significantly before the summer then it would not be a surprise to see him offloaded by Brendan Rodgers for a younger, more effective alternative.