Frank Lampard must unlock £4.25m Coventry City weapon if appointed | OneFootball

If appointed Coventry City manager, Frank Lampard will need to get the best from Ephron Mason-Clark, who had impressed at Peterborough

With Coventry City sitting only one point above the relegation zone, it is fair to say that Frank Lampard will have his work cut out if given the job.

Reports from Sky Sports in the last 48 hours have stated that Lampard was in advanced talks to secure the Coventry managerial role.

Despite the Sky Blues needing to raise their quality all over the pitch, if Lampard is appointed, there is one player in particular that the Chelsea legend should be targeting for improvement.

That man is Ephron Mason-Clark. The left-winger signed for Coventry for a reported fee of £4.25 million in January, and was loaned straight back to Peterborough for the remainder of the season. However, since arriving at Coventry, he has been wholly underwhelming. A rethink will be needed if Lampard is to get the best from him.

Ephron Mason-Clark has disappointed for Coventry City

Since arriving at the CBS Arena in the summer, Mason-Clark has struggled to make any impact in the Championship. First and foremost, he has only been awarded four starts, but has made 12 league appearances in total, registering a single assist.

Mason-Clark's game time has been limited recently due to former manager Mark Robins' preference for a 3-4-1-2 formation in all the club's last four games (the final one overseen by Rhys Carr), which deploys wing-backs rather than out-and-out wide men. When utilising a 4-2-3-1, Robins preferred Tatsuhiro Sakamoto off the right. 536 minutes is all Mason-Clark has accrued so far, which is less than ideal for a player attempting to make his mark at a new club.

The winger's only goal contribution came in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, a game in which Mason-Clark replaced Sakamoto on the right-wing after 10 minutes and was allowed to play in his natural position.

The Englishman's statistics do not look too disappointing when considering his sparse playing time this season.

It is evident that the player is an accomplished dribbler, and he also hits crosses with a decent regularity. It has been a struggle for him to find game time in his natural position thus far, and that is something Lampard will need to consider if he wishes to see the 25-year-old flourish in the Championship.

Ephron Mason-Clark was on fire for Peterborough United

Evidence of Mason-Clark's true quality and the reason behind his Coventry signing is seen in his two seasons at Peterborough.

A glance at the raw statistics gives a telling impression of the winger. 50 goal contributions in 102 matches shows his capabilities, and that is something that Coventry are missing out on at present.

The Sky Blues have managed 20 goals this season, but that figure could be greatly increased if all of their top players can hit a rich vein of form.

Ellis Simms and Haji Wright are two of the league's most potent attacking threats, with the latter having already scored seven goals this season. If both could be further unlocked by the directness of Mason-Clark, Lampard could have a powerful frontline on his hands. This is without even considering the linkup play that the winger would facilitate with attacking midfielder Tatsushiro Sakamoto, who also has three goal contributions to his name.

It is also noteworthy that the club's top assister, Jack Rudoni, has managed three so far - the league-high tally standing at five. There is obvious potential for Mason-Clark to establish himself as a primary creator in the Coventry lineup and put crosses on a plate for the Sky Blues' robust forwards.

Overall, the statistics show that the former Posh winger has a lot of potential to succeed at Championship level, but a lack of game time and ability to play in his natural position have hindered the player so far. If Lampard were to be given the job and want to see Mason-Clark's talents shine, then a tactical do-over may be in order to exploit his capabilities.