Millwall FC must ease Macaulay Langstaff situation in January | OneFootball

The step up from League 2 to the Championship has been tough for Macaulay Langstaff, and Millwall may want to find another striker option in January

Despite featuring for a Millwall side that are enjoying an incredible run of form, former Notts County striker Macaulay Langstaff has found the step up from League Two to the Championship rather challenging.

The striker dominated lower league defences in a two-year spell with the Nottinghamshire club, but has since found it difficult to adjust to the level of the second tier.

With the January transfer window approaching and Millwall looking to further their hopes of landing a playoff place, it may be time for them to assess other striker options that could out perform Langstaff.

Macaulay Langstaff is struggling at Millwall

Langstaff has made 14 league appearances for Millwall this season, but has only managed to find the net once.

He has provided two assists on top, but a return of three goal contributions is underwhelming for a striker who scored 70 times in two seasons for Notts County.

As his stats show, Langstaff has had a meteoric rise through the English footbal pyramid, and was playing in the sixth tier of English football merely three seasons ago.

Every year he has taken to a new league like a duck to water, but the striker may have finally met his match in the Championship.

Having averaged at least a goal every 0.61 games in his previous three campaigns, he has now only managed one for Millwall so far.

Although there is certainly still time for Langstaff to come good, it is important to remember that the forward is already 27 years old, having spent his entire career in the far reaches of England's lower tiers.

It could be a struggle for manager Neil Harris to overlook Langstaff's form when considering the team play in a league famed for its competitive nature.

Millwall cannot afford to wait for Macaulay Langstaff

Millwall themselves have experienced somewhat of a meteoric rise of late, moving up to eighth in the table after a 1-1 draw with Stoke City saw their unbeaten run extend to seven games.

Millwall are not a high scoring team, as they have not managed more than one goal in any games during this run, but their results prove they are capable of shutting teams out with effective defending.

Langstaff finds himself down the pecking order at the club, having started just over 50% of the team's games, but was benched in favour of Tom Bradshaw in their most recent fixture and at other times for 19-year-old Mihailo Ivanovic.

Former Sunderland man Duncan Watmore is actually the club's top scorer at the moment with five goals, with electric winger Romain Esse not far behind on three.

Part of Langstaff's struggles have come from the lack of chances he has managed to create.

He only generates 0.27xG per game and averages 1.16 shots per 90 minutes.

For a striker, these are very low numbers, especially regarding shots taken.

With the step up in quality from League Two, it is easy to see how a lower number of chances would lead to a significantly reduced conversion rate for the Englishman.

Millwall cannot afford to dawdle, however.

With a genuine play-off push looking likely for Neil Harris' side, it is possible that he will search for other striker options in a January transfer window that has the potential to make or break the club's season.