Brendan Rodgers says Celtic new Bhoy Scott Sinclair still has best years ahead of him after dream debut

BRENDAN RODGERS helped Scott Sinclair start off his career.

Now the Celtic boss has vowed to give the £4.5million new Bhoy a platform to kick-start it.

Sinclair got his Hoops career off to a dream start yesterday with a debut goal against Hearts at Tynecastle.

Rodgers leapt out of the dugout when the ball hit the back of the net as his latest signing wasted no time in impressing.

And the Parkhead boss reckons Sinclair will now be desperate to get his career going again after a disappointing few years.

Rodgers said: “Scott has always been about enjoying his football — but the last four years have been really difficult.

“I had him when he was 16 at Chelsea. He played in a really good youth team I had there.

“He went out on loan to a couple of clubs and then I brought him to Swansea where he was outstanding. That got him a move to Manchester City but from there, really his career stalled.

“No one has really seen the best of him and they probably forgot about his qualities.

“But this was a guy who four or five years ago was scoring a hat-trick in a play-off final under big pressure in front of 90,000. He has a big talent.

“He is still young — 27 — physically strong, robust, can play in big games and loves the big occasion and has a lot to learn still.

“So I think he will be really big for us.

“You get to 29 and then 29 to 35 is when you play your best football.

“The years between 22 to 29 are an acid age, then 29 to 35 you can keep your career going and be fit.

“You play better because you have better knowledge of the game. He is not even at that stage yet.

“He knows he had to get his career going again, because it stalled a little bit.

“At Aston Villa he always seemed to play full-back.

“I always felt with Scotty you had to get him 50 metres higher up the pitch to help teams and hopefully he can recreate that here at Celtic.

“Aston Villa didn’t really want to lose the player, but Scott made it clear he wanted to leave.”

Sinclair couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Celtic career with his late strike winning three points.

The Hoops boss added: “It was an outstanding goal.

“You track the speed of his run and once he’s breaking away it’s that hunger and desire that you see from really good players to want to get up and join in.