Why Dunfermline could be a crucial game for Scott Sinclair

It feels as though Scott Sinclair has barely kicked a ball this season for Celtic, despite the Hoops having played eight competitive fixtures already, but this weekend’s Scottish League Cup tie could prove crucial for the winger.

Mikey Johnston appears to be Neil Lennon’s first choice so far ahead of both Sinclair and Lewis Morgan, and the 20-year-old has certainly started the campaign in fine fettle.

However, Morgan has been next in line in Johnston’s absence, filling in against CFR Cluj in Romania and Motherwell last weekend, and coming off the bench in Tuesday’s defeat.

Sinclair meanwhile, has played just 56 minutes of competitive football this season out of a possible 720, and all five of his appearances have come from the bench; a criminally low amount of game time for somebody who contributes so much.

In the 258 games in his career prior to hid Celtic move, Sinclair scored a goal or assisted a teammate every 3.4 games on average, with 56 goals and 18 assists coming in that time.

Since his move to Parkhead however, those stats have improved remarkably. The 30-year-old has scored or assisted at an average of every 1.6 games he has played for Celtic, with 64 goals and 34 assists coming in just 164 appearances.

Why he has not featured more this campaign is a mystery, but with Johnston unlikely to feature against Dunfermline, the 30-year-old needs to be given the chance to start his first game of the season.

If he does start, or make an appearance at the very least, it could be a crucial game for Sinclair to force his way back into Lennon’s reckoning.

Morgan has looked bright at times so far this season, but is yet to do anything to suggest he should be keeping Sinclair out of the side.

A big performance from the 30-year-old this weekend, therefore, will certainly give the Celtic boss some food for thought going forwards, should he give Sinclair the chance to make an impact.