Celtic winger Scott Sinclair has paid tribute to his agent and mentor Cyrille Regis who died earlier this month.

One of the first black players to play for England, Regis died aged just 59 earlier after suffering a heart attack.

Regis, Sinclair’s agent, was up in Glasgow prior to the 0-0 draw against rangers at Celtic Park at the end of December to see the 27-year-old Celtic player. It proved to be the last time they would meet.

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“The sad thing is that I last saw him just before the Rangers game at the end of December, before we broke up for the winter break,” said Sinclair. “He came up and we chatted for about three hours. So it’s just so sad.”

Celtic held a minute’s applause for Regis prior to last weekend’s Scottish Cup win over Brechin, an appreciate mark of respect for Sinclair.

“He was my agent but he was more than that to me,” he explained. “I’d been with him since I was 16 and it’s so sad that he’s passed. Cyrille was there throughout my whole career, from the start right up until now.

“It wasn’t just about footballing aspects, though; it was about life. He used to come up here and we’d talk about absolutely everything, not just the game.

“He meant more to me than just being someone who sorted contracts and stuff. What he did in football, all of his achievements, were unbelievable and it was great to see him getting that minute’s applause up here. It was great for me to see the effect he had on so many players and other people.

“Players nowadays don’t realise what he had to go through back then [with the racism] but he discussed that with me, all the stories about how you had to stay sane on your journey.

“He used to always speak to me about what I needed to do when I wasn’t playing regularly. He used to tell me to dig deep and stay in it - to basically stay professional.

“It’s easy to manage a player when things are going right, because there’s not that much to say. But he used to talk to me about all the things which weren’t going right. He was one of those mentors who kept you focused.

“It’s emotional losing someone who is that close to you. It’s such a sad thing and so difficult to understand.”

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Sinclair’s personal tribute to his mentor was to score against Brechin and then to find the net against Partick Thistle from the penalty spot on Tuesday evening at Firhill. Those strikes took his tally to 17 for the season, not an insignificant return considering that Sinclair has not quite been at the same level he was last term in his inaugural season at the club.

He is well on his way to eclipsing the 25 goals that he netted on his way to winning the Player of the Year and his focus is on continuing his goalscoring form.

“It’s always nice to come back with a couple straight after the break,” he said. “It was great for myself and the team.

“It’s a good return for this stage of the season, especially since I’m not even playing as a striker. But for me it’s all about keeping on going and performing.

“Hopefully, I can beat last season’s total but I’ll take each game as it comes and keep bouncing on.”

And Sinclair is keen to see off Hibs this afternoon at Celtic Park.

The Parkhead side are yet to beat Neil Lennon’s side on league duty this term, something that Sinclair is keen to rectify.

“Every game is tough,” he said. “It’s going to be another difficult game. The last time we played at home against them, they could have nicked it. But we dug deep. This is one of those games where we need to keep on winning.

“Every team we play wants to beat us. Everyone wants to win the game but we just need to do what we have been doing every week, maintain our form and make sure we win.

“They aren’t going to come and just sit back. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting game. They do come and try to attack. They come to win, not just to sit in and try for a draw.”