Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is of the opinion that there are not too many English players playing at Scott Sinclair’s level.

The forward has been in fine form for Celtic in the present campaign, scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 16 appearances in all competitions.




However, he is yet to receive a call-up from England boss Gareth Southgate, who helped the Three Lions to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

But Sinclair recently said that he has not given up hope of representing England in the World Cup, with the 28-year-old stating that he has to perform well in the Champions League to boost his chances of playing for the national team.
 


Last week, former Celtic star Chris Sutton slammed Southgate for not including Sinclair in his most recent squad.

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And Rodgers, who explained that it has always been difficult for English players playing in Scotland to break into the England set-up, feels Sinclair is performing at a higher level than most of his compatriots.

“I think it’s [the Champions League] a great window for all the players”, he said in a press conference on Thursday, when asked about Sinclair’s England chances.

“Especially if you’re an English player playing here and you want to break in [the national team, it’s difficult].

“With all due respect, there’s not too many English players playing at that level and he has been playing exceptionally well.

“It’s something [which has happened] over the course of many years, not just this year.

“If you go back over many years, it has always been difficult for talented players from England who have been playing up here, even though they have been playing in the Champions League, to force their way into the England set-up.

“I know the [English] players in that [Sinclair’s] position are fairly talented, I’ve worked with Raheem [Sterling] and I know a number of other boys as well.

“But you can only concentrate on your club and you’ve to leave those decisions to the international managers.

“All Scott can do is what he’s doing – scoring goals, creating goals, working tirelessly and doing it at the very highest level.

“We’ll see where it takes him.”

Sinclair, who has represented England up to Under-21 level, also played for Team Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.