As Celtic begin their Europa League campaign with a trip to Rennes, one player who seems unlikely to feature is Scott Sinclair.
The attacker, who has played a key role in Celtic’s ‘treble treble’ achievement, has not even made the Celtic bench in recent games.
It isn’t that long ago that Sinclair was a hero for the Hoops in the Europa League as well. In last season’s tournament, his header give the Hoops a vital 1-0 win over Rosenborg.
No longer a regular in squad
That is less than a year ago. Since the arrival of Neil Lennon as Celtic manager though, Sinclair’s time as a first-team regular looks to be over.
Will Sinclair even make the bench for Celtic in Rennes? You would have to think that the odds are against it. He hasn’t made a first-team appearance for Celtic since the 5-2 win over Motherwell over a month ago. He was only a late substitute in that game too.
In the last seven games, he has failed to make the Celtic squad. That trend will mostly likely continue against Rennes.
Next two fixtures could provide clue to player’s future
However, Celtic’s next two games could provide a clue to Sinclair’s future at Celtic, if he even has one. The Hoops take on Kilmarnock in the league on Sunday, followed by a Betfred Cup tie against Partick Thistle.
If Sinclair is unable to make the squad for either of those games, when Celtic will presumably make squad changes, it is a worrying sign for the player.
As for the game against Rennes, Neil Lennon should be putting the player on the bench. He has shown in the past that he is more than capable of finding the back of the net with an important goal for the Hoops.
The chances of Sinclair appearing in the squad do seem quite remote though. It would be of a surprise to see him return to the squad, but only time will tell.
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