Never go back is a phrase which is frequently used in football. It is often used to warn someone off from returning to their former club as it predominantly never turns out as well as it did the first time round. If you go to a restaurant and its really good, and then you go to a different restaurant the next time and its not so good, why would you not go back to that original restaurant which you enjoyed so much? Jupp Heynckes crushes the idea that you should never go back in football. Heynckes managed Bayern Munich to the treble last season (Champions League, German Cup and Bundesliga) in which was his THIRD spell as Bayern Munich manager. Here are five footballers who should follow in his footsteps, and return to their former clubs:
5. Scott Sinclair
Rewind back a year and Scott Sinclair had just played in all 38 Premier League games, scored eight goals in the process and was preparing to play an integral part for Great Britain at the Olympics. A year on Sinclair finishes the season having only made three starts for new club Manchester City. Sinclair had found his home at Swansea after a succession of loans spells with Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic. But like so many young English players before him, he wasnt happy just playing regularly in the Premier League. With one year of his contract remaining, he announced in August 2012 that he would not be signing a new one. This forced Swansea Citys hand and they had little choice but to sell Sinclair to recently crowned champions, Manchester City, for a cut price. Sinclair replaced departing winger Adam Johnson at the Etihad. Johnson was leaving the club in search of first-team football. This didnt deter Sinclair, who would have arrived hoping to feature more regularly than Johnson. That never happened and he went on to feature considerably less than his fellow English wide man. Adam Johnson left for Sunderland but hasnt been able to replicate the performances he produced prior to, and during his time at Manchester City. At the age of 24, Scott Sinclair needs to be playing football. He has been linked with loan moves to West Brom and Everton. In my opinion he should be looking to leave permanently. If he goes to West Brom on loan and does well for them, he isnt going to return to City and suddenly become an integral part of their team, especially with the arrival of Jesus Navas adding to the already fierce competition for places. Sinclair himself may favour a loan move because if he goes out on loan and plays well, he will be in a better position when it comes to contract talks and the choice of club. Negotiating after a good season is a lot easier than negotiating after a bad one. Returning to Swansea would be the best option for Sinclair, he knows how they play and would fit right into their system, and there would be no settling in stage. Despite replacing Sinclair with Pablo Hernandez last summer, Swansea would be keen to bring Sinclair back to the Liberty Stadium, especially with all the extra games the Europa League will bring.