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Scott Sinclair has revealed his pain at watching his career rapidly deteriorate over the past two-and-a-half years.

The Aston Villa loan signing was one of England’s finest wingers before his move to Manchester City halted all of the progress he had previously made.

Although he doesn’t regret joining the Premier League champions he admits he would never give up regular first-team football again in return for a big move.

He said: “It is hard to give someone advice about what you’ve been through, but now if I had the chance, if I was playing week in week out and was happy, then I would probably think twice about going back to a top-four club.

“No player goes to a team thinking they are not going to play.

“Everyone has ambitions.

“A few years ago I was thinking ‘I am making this jump and I want to play Champions League’.

PICTURES - Scott Sinclair signs for Villa:

“Everyone wants to play Champions League football and win trophies and be up there.

“Sometimes it doesn’t always go to plan and that’s what you’ve got to realise as a football player.

“I’ve gone through a hell of a lot and I’m still here and still wanting to prove myself.

“I’ve still got that hunger to play football.”

Sinclair made his Villa debut as a substitute in the 5-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

Looking back on the game would not have been pretty viewing but the 25-year-old has been used to depressing weekends of late.

At City he would often train on his own on a Saturday and then struggle to watch Match Of The Day because he missed the action so much.

(Image: Action Images / Craig Brough)

“As soon as I signed for Villa my mates were saying ‘I am coming up to watch you’.

“Most of my family missed watching me and seeing me because most of the time I was unhappy.

“Every single time I would train on a Saturday and go back and watch MOTD and it gets disheartening when you are watching it.

“It is so hard.

“It goes to show it goes so quickly.

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“It feels like week after week after week and it keeps going and before you know it is the end of the season.

“It is so difficult when you’re watching football and thinking I want to be out there and the feeling, most of all – when you win a game and you score a goal, nothing beats it at all and that’s what I want to get back.

“The last 18 months-two years have been very tough for me but I’m hoping it will change now.”