The Watford loanee has been omitted from Gianfranco Zola’s last two matchday squads while Nottingham Forest struggle for goals.
With Birmingham City continuing to sleepwalk aimlessly into a relegation dogfight, you’d think Gianfranco Zola would be in no position to completely dispense with a 20-year-old loanee desperate to impress.
Yet, after failing to make an impact in starts against Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday and QPR, the Watford-owned youngster was handed only a minute of action in the 3-1 loss at Leeds before being dropped from the squad altogether for the home defeat to Wigan in midweek and Saturday’s draw with Cardiff.
For what it’s worth, Birmingham have scored just one goal in their last 180 minutes of Championship action without Sinclair in the 18.
And while most players wouldn’t find themselves in a position to wish they’d instead signed for the club two places and four points nearer to the relegation zone, the former Liverpool youngster might at least have discovered that a loan spell at Nottingham Forest was beneficial for his burgeoning career.
Because, as it stands, a five-month stint at St Andrews is amounting to nothing more than a disheartening waste of time.
Sky Sports report that Forest boss Gary Brazil had identified Sinclair as a prime target late in the transfer window just a few weeks after he caught the eye with a brilliant solo goal in Watford’s FA Cup win against Burton Albion.
And it’s largely defending rather than goalscoring that has forced Forest into a battle for survival, the forward threat has dried up somewhat recently. Since the transfer window slammed shut, Forest have scored eleven goals in eight league games.
Britt Assombalonga is goalless in six, Ross McCormack is yet to find his feet and Apostalos Vellios is out of favour, meaning Ben Brereton suddenly finds the goalscoring burden perched on his 17-year-old shoulders.
Therefore, it seems that Forest will rue missing out on Sinclair as much as Sinclair rues missing out on Forest.
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