Sinclair came through the academy ranks at Bristol Rovers and made two senior appearances before moving to Chelsea in the summer of 2005.
The player later joined Celtic in the 2016/17 season and won three Scottish league titles before moving back to England to join Preston North End in the winter of 2020.
Sinclair was released by Preston at the end of the previous season and has penned a short-term deal with the Gas’ for this season.
The Gas boss Barton is of the view that the former England international has so much quality in him that it was impossible to turn down the opportunity to sign the player.
Barton believes that the 33-year-old is in top shape and stressed that his side will benefit from the vast experience of the winger.
The Bristol Rovers manager is optimistic that Sinclair’s short-term contract with the Gas will develop into a long-term one, and that both the team and the player will gain from it.
“I just thought he had too much quality for us not to take him”, Barton was quoted as saying by Bristol Live.
“We were in a position because of the back-end of the window where we budgeted and we had a bit of surplus because we missed some targets.
“It was a case of being able to add real experience with over 500 appearances, and real quality and goals.
“And if you are an old romantic, it allows him to start and finish at Rovers.
“He’s a product of the academy and gone to Chelsea and made a fantastic career for himself in the British game and then, as luck would have it, he’s out of contract.
“He’s in the right shape in terms of his body and it’s in a position where we think his experience could really add to us and our group.
“It works for all parties.
“It’s short-term to begin with but let’s hope this is an Indian summer for Scott and he can have a number of good years here.
Last season, the 33-year-old featured 23 times in the Championship for Preston but failed to find the back of the net.
