SCOTT SINCLAIR admits it was tough for him as he counted down the days before his inevitable move from Celtic last month.
The one-time England international forward fell out of favour shortly after the Hoops had extended his contract for a further 12 months.
Sinclair, 30, made only one competitive start before his move to Preston last month and he played in their 2-1 win over Wigan yesterday as they kept up their promotion push for the top flight.
The former Swansea and Manchester City raider, who cost Brendan Rodgers £4.5million when he joined from Aston Villa in August 2016, hit the ground running at the Hoops when he scored the winning goal in the 2-1 triumph over Hearts at Tynecastle on the opening day of the successful Premiership campaign.
He celebrated with the travelling fans behind the goal – and he praised the team’s followers for their support during his three-and-a-half years at Parkhead.
Sinclair, speaking to Football Focus, said: “Obviously, my game time was a little bit restricted coming towards the end and I thought it was time to move on.
WELCOME…Scott Sinclair is greeted by the Celtic fans after his debut winner against Hearts in August 2016.
“You have gone from playing week in, week out, scoring goals, scoring 60 goals in three seasons and then before you know it, you are sometimes training with the reserves for whichever reason that was.
“That was hard to take, but I had to sort of dig in and stay professional which I did.
“But, yeah, it was a very tough time for me in the last stages.
“It was so special from the moment I walked in the door, winning all the trophies, getting Player Of The Year, top goalscorer it couldn’t have been a better part of my career.
“The fans were unbelievable to me which I am sure I will miss.
“We had a great sort of connection.”
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