"A gulf in quality" - Millwall tipped to sanction Macaulay Langstaff exit if late transfer offers arrive | OneFootball

We asked our Millwall fan pundit whether Macaulay Langstaff should be moved on this month

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Millwall have been told to move Macaulay Langstaff on this month if they receive an appropriate offer, with the striker struggling for form since joining from Notts County in the summer.

Langstaff had developed a reputation as a deadly finisher in the lower leagues thanks to his form with Gateshead and Notts County, but he's struggled to adapt to the Championship since his summer move to Millwall.

His one and only goal for the Lions came at the end of September, but he's struggled to kick on since then, and with the likes of Milhailo Ivanovic finding form in recent weeks, Langstaff may struggle for regular game time at The Den in the coming months.

With that in mind, Alex Neil's side have been told to consider moving Langstaff on if they receive an appropriate offer.

Claim made on Macaulay Langstaff's future at Millwall

We asked our Millwall fan pundit, Lucas Ball, if the club should be looking to sanction an exit for Langstaff if reinforcements are brought in this month, and it's clear he feels a move could suit all parties.

Speaking to Football League World, Lucas said: "Macaulay Langstaff has had a really tough time at Millwall so far.

"He came in highly-rated in terms of his goalscoring in the last couple of years, his first couple of starts when he got into the team was decent, his link-up play was nice and he was making some good runs.

"The finishes weren’t quite coming at the time, but you had confidence that would come when he got more used to Championship football. He’s had a couple of injuries which haven’t helped in the interim, but since then he hasn’t really looked like someone capable of making the step-up, unfortunately.

“The Championship to League One is a big jump, to League Two it’s even bigger, and he just hasn’t been able to make the jump.

“It’s just too much of a gulf in quality, and he hasn’t really looked up to it for long spells now and even against Portsmouth, when he came on to try and see the game out, we lost a lot of threat, and he hasn’t got the pace that Ivanovic does to cause a threat in behind.

“It’s a shame for him, and it’s a shame for us that it hasn’t quite worked out, but he’s certainly someone that if the right offer came in, and we were able to get another attacker in to replace him, he could potentially be someone to move on.

“I think it would be a good move for all parties at this stage and I don’t think he’s shown enough to suggest that he’s able to make the step-up anytime soon, so it would be a good move for everyone if it could happen, and we certainly need to get a few more players through the door if it were to happen.”

A League One move might benefit Macaulay Langstaff in the interim

Langstaff is still playing quite regularly for Millwall, so it's unlikely that he leaves this month unless reinforcements are brought in, but if he were to leave, a League One loan could make sense.

The 27-year-old has gone from playing non-league, to League Two to the Championship, completely skipping League One, so regular game time in the third tier could help to bridge the gap.

Langstaff showed he can score goals in the EFL last season with his 28 goals in League Two, which left him as the division's top scorer, but quite understandably, he's struggled with the jump to the Championship.

Whether it's in the remaining few days of the January transfer window or in the summer, a loan move to League One could do Langstaff the world of good, and he'd likely return to The Den a better player afterwards.