Brendan Rodgers hailed Scott Sinclair after the Englishman’s hat-trick helped Celtic defeat Aberdeen 4-3.
Sinclair’s treble was his second hat-trick in a Celtic jersey. His first came as Celtic clinched the league title against Hearts in 2017.
The former Villa man’s trio of goals were his 50th, 51st and 52nd goals for the club.
Rodgers signed Sinclair for the Chelsea youth team when he was 16. The gaffer was reminded of the teenage Sinclair in his post-match interview.
Rodgers said: “Scott knows where the goal is and he wants to be in there to score.
“He’s done it since he was 16 years of age.
“He loves the big occasions. All of his finishes were very good.”
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Sinclair was a marquee summer signing at the beginning of Rodgers’ reign at Celtic.
A £4m signing from Aston Villa, Sinclair made himself an instant hero with the fans.
His winning goal away to Hearts sparked the beginning of a fairytale first season for the winger.
He notched 25 goals and carried that form into his second season. His goals were a key factor in Celtic qualifying for the Champions League group stages in 2017.
His form dipped midway through his second season. Although he’s shown flashes of his best form, he has been stuttering again this season.
However, Sinclair has started to kick on again. He’s been excellent in the last few weeks.
Rodgers hailed the winger’s contribution after his hat-trick extended Celtic’s lead at the top of the table.
The Talisman reborn
Sinclair will probably go down as the signature signing of the Rodgers Celtic era.
Like Chris Sutton did for Martin O’Neill in 2000, Sinclair sparked the Rodgers revolution at Parkhead.
He’s been a talismanic figure for the club since 2016. He’s a workhorse who never shirks his defensive responsibilities.
On Saturday he will have a vital role to play as Celtic travel to Ibrox.
With four goals already against their biggest rivals, don’t be shocked if Sinclair adds a fifth this weekend.