Brendan Rodgers a factor for me joining Celtic, says Scott Sinclair
Monday 8 August 2016 17:42, UK
Scott Sinclair says Brendan Rodgers was one of the key reasons why he swapped Aston Villa for Celtic.
Rodgers first worked with Sinclair when he was on the coaching staff at Chelsea and the player arrived at Stamford Bridge from Bristol Rovers in 2005.
The pair were re-united five years later when Rodgers was manager of Swansea and he signed the forward for £500,000.
And after spells at Manchester City and Aston Villa, Rodgers signed Sinclair again, this time for the Scottish champions on Friday.
The 27-year-old is expected to be one of Celtic's key players this season, and he has paid tribute to Rodgers for the influence he had on his career during his developmental years.
"He's had a massive influence on my career when I was at Swansea and previously at Chelsea when I was a youngster," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"For me to work under a manager who knows me, and obviously I know how he works, its been great for me to be under a manager like that."
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Sinclair was confirmed as a Celtic player on Friday night and, less than 24 hours after signing for the Scottish Premiership champions, he scored the 80th minute winner against Hearts in the opening game of the league season to hand the Hoops all three points.
Sinclair only entered the match as a substitute in the 61st minute, and was delighted with his impact after a whirlwind few days.
He said: "I didn't realise I was going to be involved in the squad [on Saturday].
"I drove up Friday night and I literally had only three-four hours [sleep] that night.
"I did the medical the next day, and when the manager asked if I was going to be involved, I obviously said yes and I couldn't have asked for a better start to my Celtic career."
