Hoops star Scott is adamant he can force his way into England set-up
Scott Sinclair says he can still force his way into the England squad.
Born and raised in Bath, the Celtic winger has represented his country at all age levels from Under-17 to 21 and played for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.
So far, though, a senior cap has eluded him.
At 29, there are many who would argue his chance has gone, not least because Gareth Southgate has shown his willingness to use young players.
Sinclair, inspired by the exploits of the Three Lions in the World Cup, begs to differ.
“After my first season at Celtic, I had ambitions of getting back into the England squad. And it is definitely something that can still be achieved,” he said. “When I first arrived, it wasn’t something I thought about. My aim was to enjoy my football, play well and score goals. I did that and picked up the Player of the Year award.
“However, while my focus was about doing well for Celtic, England has always been at the back of my mind.
“They did so well reaching the semifinal. It’s been a terrific effort across the tournament and the whole nation got behind them.
“I’ve come up with the likes of Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier, so it has been great to see them go out and do their stuff. “The manager has done an exceptional job with them because the team has played with no fear.
“That’s been a problem in the past, the shackles never really came off and there was so much pressure on them. “Going into every game, previous England teams had so much pressure leading up to big games.
“But this is such a young squad and it doesn’t seem to have fazed them. They’ve just gone out, played freely and did the job.
“We didn’t make the Final but the performances bode well for the future. It is exciting for the nation now to go into the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
“Hopefully, these players will have learned from all their experiences in Russia and can go even further at the next tournament.”
Meanwhile, Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has voiced his admiration for Scott Allan, but admitted that might not be enough to keep him at Celtic.
The midfielder has returned to Celtic after a season which saw him farmed out on loan, first with Dundee and then at Hibs.
Yet, while at 26, he is now showing the kind of quality Rodgers requires of his squad players, Rodgers also says he can’t guarantee him regular games.
That being the case, a move away – and Hibs, as part of a deal for John Mcginn, would be favourite – can’t be ruled out.
“I’ve always liked Scott, I’ve always seen him as a talent but he knew that after his experience at Rotherham, he needed to be playing and he did that very well at Hibs,” said the Celtic manager.
“So he is a player I like. He’s got speed, he’s got qualities, I think he’s got more to show.
“His career has drifted a wee bit, but I like him a lot as a person and he trains very hard.
“Can I give him the game-time he wants at this stage of their career? I think that’s the only question mark really and that’s a conversation that we’ll have.
“Then really it’ll be about the player and what he feels. The same would apply to Ryan Christie.
“I think those guys will look and think about what this group of players has done over the last couple of years.”
“But both players have done very well in pre-season.”
Asked directly about the chance of Allan ending up back at Easter Road, Rodgers didn’t duck the issue: “Yeah, that might still be the way,” he said.
With regards to transfer activity on a whole different scale and Everton’s recent interest in the £25m-rated Kieran Tierney, the Celtic boss was in relaxed mood.
“I genuinely think when the time does come, or there is a real concrete offer for him, it will be the most difficult decision of his life,” he said.
“But that’s all hearsay, really, just now. He’s focused.”