Former Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair has admitted that snubbing interest from Liverpool to complete an £8million move to the Etihad Stadium in 2012 may have been the wrong decision.
The 37-year-old, who retired at the end of the 2024/25 season after three years with Bristol Rovers, was a man in demand after a successful two-year spell with Swansea City. He scored 36 goals in 91 games for the Swans and attracted interest from the Premier League's biggest clubs.
Liverpool interest and a difficult choice
Alongside City joining the race to sign Sinclair, Liverpool — who host the Premier League leaders next week — were also considering acquiring him when his former Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers was appointed in the summer of 2012. The former Team GB star ended up rejecting interest from the Reds to sign for City, a decision Sinclair now admits may have been the wrong move.
"The first time I heard about the Man City interest was when I was playing for Team GB at London 2012," Sinclair said to Seven, powered by Ladbrokes. "Obviously there was talk about other clubs as well, but not a lot materialised, really. Even Liverpool came in for me at the time, and so that was another discussion I had with my agent."
"Looking back, maybe that would have been a better move for me, with their wide players. But yeah, Man City come in and I couldn’t really say no. Things didn’t work out as well as I’d have liked them to, because I’d have loved more of an opportunity there, but there were just so many players around the place."
Limited opportunities at the Etihad
Sinclair made just 19 appearances for City as he struggled to make his mark on the first-team squad, with David Silva, Samir Nasri and James Milner preferred over him. He admitted that the switch from being the star man in Swansea to playing a bit-part role in Manchester was difficult.
"I think I started against Arsenal and Stoke and that was it for me. I made a handful of appearances but opportunities were limited," he explained. "I think that coming from Swansea, playing every single week, scoring a hat-trick in the play-off final, and then having a year in the Premier League and scoring eight from out wide before I made my move.
"I was in such a good place, and then the City move just sort of stops things, and puts everything on hold, then I’ve got to rebuild again. The first six months were great, because it was all new, and I was playing for a top team, being involved in the Champions League, but then on the other hand I wasn’t playing much, and that was frustrating."
No regrets despite struggles
Despite not making the grade at City, Sinclair said that he's glad he signed for the club. He added: "And my overriding feeling when it comes to City is that I’d much rather say I made the move and it may or may not have worked out, than never made the move and never knowing what might have been.
"I always look out for teams I’ve played for, and I’ll always have a soft spot for Man City."
He left the Etihad in 2015 for Aston Villa before joining Celtic a year later and enjoyed a trophy-laden four-year spell in Scotland. A return to England beckoned in 2020 with Preston North End and he spent two years there before ending his career with Bristol Rovers.
The Reds' clash against City on Sunday, October 11, will be the first match Enzo Maresca's side plays since they were found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League.
