Preston North End forward Scott Sinclair has confirmed via an Instagram post that he is set to leave the club when his contract expires this summer.

The Lilywhites' retained list is yet to be published but Sinclair is the second senior player to have his imminent exit be revealed, with Paul Huntington also leaving after nearly 10 years at Deepdale.

Sinclair arrived at North End in January 2020 after ending his long association with Scottish giants Celtic, but he failed to hit the heights of his days at the Hoops when he was at PNE.

 

 

 

 

The 33-year-old scored three times in his first half-season at North End and then in his first full season in the 2020-21 campaign, Sinclair was the club's top scorer with nine league goals in 33 appearances.

His appearances became more sporadic during the 2021-22 season though under both Frankie McAvoy and Ryan Lowe, with a switch to a winger-less formation not suiting the experienced forward.

In Sinclair's 22 Championship outings this season, he started just six times and his final appearance came as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat to Fulham in April.

The Verdict

This particular departure from North End was inevitable considering Sinclair's lack of minutes under Ryan Lowe.

Big things were expected of the forward when he arrived at Deepdale thanks to the things he did at Celtic, but it just never seemed to click.

You can imagine that Sinclair was on a hefty enough wage as well, so with that coming off the books this summer, PNE can re-invest elsewhere.

At 33 years old now, Sinclair may still have some time left in the EFL - but it won't be with PNE.