Has Scott Sinclair been treated harshly at Celtic?

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Scott Sinclair has rarely been seen in a Celtic shirt so far this season.

The 30-year-old Englishman, who has contributed so much to the club since joining in 2016, has been thrust to the side by Neil Lennon since he regained the Parkhead hotseat on a permanent basis. Sinclair has appeared just four times in Celtic’s 14 matches – totalling just one hour on the pitch for the Hoops so far this season.

He hasn’t even made the matchday squad for the last seven matches with the early August victory over Motherwell the last time he was stripped in a Celtic kit.

While the decision is undoubtedly Lennon’s, and Celtic have gone on a six game winning run in his absence, the nature at which Sinclair has been disregarded does leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Sinclair should at least be on the Celtic bench

The former Swansea man has scored 61 goals over the past three and a bit seasons. That’s more than any other player contributed in one of the club’s greatest eras of continued success. Yes, he’s been around longer than the likes of Moussa Dembele and Patrick Roberts, but that further strengthens the point.

Sinclair has been as big a part of a winning Celtic in recent years than anyone. Surely he’d be a great person to have on the fringes of the team.

His performances have flattered to deceive in recent seasons but he still grabbed 17 goals in 36 starts last season. Given that his mentor Brendan Rodgers left in February, that was a terrific tally to net.

It would be a real shame if Sinclair departed quietly out the back door of Parkhead after making such a contribution to the club. He’s scored big goals in all five of the competitions that he’s played in for Celtic, and for that he deserves better than what he’s getting.

He’s probably rightly behind Mohamed Elyounoussi and Mikey Johnston in the pecking order. But surely he’s better than Lewis Morgan and Jonny Hayes who have seen game time more recently than him. Surely he’d be a good member of the squad to have on the bench.