Earlier this week, both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham were called up into the England squad for the very first time. Following this, we decide to look at a former youth prospect that has flirted with a call up to the senior side for many years, but has never been included in a squad.
This week’s Forgotten Blue is Scott Sinclair.
Joining the Bristol Rovers academy at the age of nine, Sinclair enjoyed a number of years of youth football at the club. He became the club’s second youngest first team debutant at the age of 15 years and 277 days, after coming off the bench in a League Two game against Leyton Orient in December 2004.
The following summer, Sinclair left the club and joined Chelsea. After impressing in the youth sides, he was called up into the first team squad for an FA Cup fixture against Macclesfield Town. However, he remained on the bench and did not make his debut for the Blues. His Chelsea debut came a few days later, coming off the bench in a League Cup semi-final against Wycombe Wanderers.
Shortly after his Chelsea debut, he was sent on loan to Plymouth Argyle. In 15 league games for the side, he scored twice. He returned to Chelsea at the end of the Football League season, and played in two Premier League fixtures for the Blues, including a start against Manchester United.
He signed a new four-year deal with the club in the summer of 2007. He scored his first Chelsea goal in a League Cup tie away to Hull City. He started against Leicester in the following round, and was involved in two of Chelsea’s goals as they were 4-3 winners against the Foxes.
After a number of loan spells away from the club, at QPR, Charlton, Crystal Palace, Birmingham, and Wigan respectively, Sinclair would make a total of 14 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions, before leaving on a permanent deal in 2010.
It was at Swansea where Sinclair would start to impress. During the 2010/11 season, Sinclair scored 19 times in the Championship was the Swans were play-off winners, and became the first Welsh side to win promotion into the Premier League.
In Swansea’s first Premier League season, he scored eight times as the side finished in an impressive position of 11th. His performances caught the eye of Manchester City, who signed the winger the following summer, for a fee of around £8 million.
All season, the Englishman only made two starts in all competitions, with a further 13 appearances coming from the bench. His first season in Manchester ended with only 190 minutes of league action played, and he criticised manager Roberto Mancini for not giving him a fair chance.
The 2013/14 season saw Sinclair loaned out to West Brom. But like at City, he found it hard to break into the Baggies’ team and was mostly used off the bench. He only made eight league appearances during his spell in the Midlands.
After making two appearances during the 2014/15 season, Sinclair joined Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the year. He made nine Premier League appearances at Villa Park, and scored once. His performances were enough to entice Villa into making the deal into a permanent one.
Sinclair only scored twice in the league for Aston Villa, as they finished bottom of the Premier League, and were relegated to the Championship. Following the side’s relegation, he left the club in August 2016.
Moving country for the first time, Sinclair moved North and signed for Scottish champions Celtic. He made an instant impact in Glasgow, and scored in his first five league games, the first player to do so since Jimmy McGrory in 1922.
After a hugely impressive first season in Scotland, which saw Sinclair score 25 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions, he was named as the club’s Player of the Year, and Player’s Player of the Year. He has started the new season where he left off, and has scored ten goals in 21 appearances.
Sinclair has had a large number of sides, but has finally found one where he can let his football do the talking. If he continues his fine form for Celtic, perhaps he could join Loftus-Cheek and Abraham in a future England squad.
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