SCOTT SINCLAIR has dealt with more strikers than French air traffic control.
Pressed to give some examples of the calibre of the top marksmen the Celtic forward has worked with over the years, the eloquent 27-year-old didn’t let the silence linger more than a polite second or two before throwing forward a couple of duds from his past.
“Maybe Aguero or Tevez. One of those two,” replied Sinclair, with a chuckling smile creeping across his face.
Fair enough.
The reasoning for the question was valid given the masterclass that had just taken place moments earlier. It will come as no surprise that Moussa Dembele was that very reason.
During the 4-0 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, a brace from the Frenchman took his season goal tally to a staggering 31. It is an incredible feat given we still have another 11 Ladbrokes Premiership matches to go before the end of the season, not to mention another potential three games in the William Hill Scottish Cup. That is only part of the achievement, though. The manner in which he’s notched up many of this tally has just been a class apart.
Take his two on Wednesday, as an example. The first began with a piece of misfortune as Inverness keeper Owain Fon Williams fluffed a clearance. But Dembele still had the panache and sheer cheek to nip in, chip the flummoxed goalie and tap in. His second was down to pure ruthlessness and finishing as he motored on to a through ball before chipping the helpless Fon Williams.
So, any similarities?
“Yeah I’d say so,” said Sinclair, comparing Dembele to Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez. “He’s learning and I’m sure he watches YouTube clips and he’s trying to learn off the best. That’s what any young striker does.
“Some good strikers I’ve played and trained with but Moussa’s got that attribute where he’s scoring goals and that mentality to want to do better and better. It’s great to see.
“At the moment he is doing unbelievably. As a striker, and the confidence he’s got, he’s scoring every week. He got back to back hat-tricks and for him his development is unbelievably. He’s a massive player.
“That’s the confidence as a striker when you are scoring goals every week. That’s the confidence it brings. He’s got that confidence to put it over the keeper’s head and tap it in.”
What once seemed a feat never to be replicated from Leigh Griffiths last season, now seems a target that could be wiped out within the space of a clutch of games. The Scotland internationalist of course notched up 40 goals in green and white under Ronny Deila. With potentially 14 games to go, the man who ousted him from that Celtic team is just nine strikes off drawing level.
You’d not bet against him.
“I think the way he is going it seems like he’s scoring every week, so I hope so,” said Sinclair. “I’m sure he’ll be looking to break that target as well.”
He’ll also be looking to break into the France team before the year is out as well. Chelsea star N’Golo Kante told French head coach Didier Deschamps to cap the 20-year-old who has represented his country at various youth levels but never as a senior, and Sinclair believes the call can’t be far away.
“He’s definitely going to be playing [for France] soon.
“Everyone has got to look at how many goals he’s scored and how well he is doing.”
Hidden behind an avalanche of goals coming from Dembele, it could quite easily be forgotten the monumental season Sinclair himself is enjoying during his first season at Celtic. While his French team-mate has taken the majority of the plaudits the tricky wide man has arguably been Scottish football’s player of the season, especially given how Brendan Rodgers has managed to spark his career back into life.
The former Aston Villa forgotten man has been a leading light of the Rodgers Show at Celtic Park, a point articulated perfectly on Wednesday night when he brought a fairly ordinary game to life with a curling drive 25 yards out to open the scoring and send the league leaders on their way to a 22nd-straight Premiership win. It also brought him his 17th goal of the campaign, a tally he is keen to build on further before the campaign is out.
“Yeah. I always go into the game looking to create and score goals. That’s what I’m here to do and I’m enjoying it, and that’s what I do every time I play.Yeah [it’s quite a return]. For the position I’m playing at wide left it’s a great return.
“When I first came it was just about enjoying the football and what I’m down. My target now? Obviously I want to get into the 20 mark. To be honest, I’ve not set any target, I’m just going game by game.
“Yeah I’m definitely enjoying it. When you are winning games there’s nothing better than that and scoring goals. The team spirit here is unbelievable. Every day you go into training you enjoy every minute of it.
“There’s no better place to enjoy my football.”
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