Millwall's Macaulay Langstaff treatment must irk some at Notts County: View | OneFootball

Macaulay Langstaff has struggled for minutes at Millwall, how Notts County would love to him at Meadow Lane

It's fair to say that Macaulay Langstaff's move from Notts County to Millwall hasn't quite worked out yet, and he's struggled for regular minutes at The Den.

It's too early to completely write the move off, but in four Championship fixtures, Langstaff has played just 49 minutes of football, and it remains to be seen if he's capable of making the step-up from League Two.

The 26-year-old was playing in the National League North just three seasons ago, and has enjoyed a meteoric rise, playing in the National League, League Two and the Championship since then.

He developed a reputation as a prolific goalscorer at Meadow Lane, but he's yet to find the back of the net in his six appearances for the Lions, and he's certainly not Harris' preferred option up front, meaning he could continue to struggle for minutes as the season progresses.

Macaulay Langstaff's Millwall situation could irk some at Notts County

After scoring 70 goals in 96 appearances for the Magpies, the Meadow Lane faithful would have been bitterly disappointed to see Langstaff depart in the summer, but he would have gone with their best wishes given what he did for the club, and because the chance to play in the Championship would have been too good to pass up.

Most Notts County fans would have liked to see him thrive in South London, but that hasn't been the case so far.

Given his lack of minutes at Championship level, Notts County supporters could well be irked as they'll feel that Langstaff is being wasted, and if he was still at Meadow Lane there's no doubt that he'd still be banging in the goals on a regular basis.

The Magpies have made a decent start to the season and sit seventh, in the play-off places, and Langstaff would have made a huge difference to the club's promotion push, but instead he's being used sparingly at Millwall.

Langstaff was Notts' talisman, and while losing him was hard enough, seeing him struggling for minutes and arguably being wasted will be even tougher to accept.

Of course, the player will feel that, at 26, this was potentially his last chance to move to the Championship, and he can't be blamed for that, but he may feel a tinge of regret seeing his former side start the season well while he's struggling for league minutes.

It will hurt Notts County supporters that someone who was so important to them isn't being used by his new side, and they would have loved to have him at their disposal this season.

Macaulay Langstaff may regret joining Millwall

We're only a month into the season, and he could well turn it around at The Den, but it seems like his new boss, Neil Harris, hasn't been particularly over-impressed by what he has seen from the 26-year-old so far.

Langstaff played the full 90 in Millwall's cup defeat to Leyton Orient, and Harris was scathing in the aftermath of his strikers' performance.

Harris told Richard Cawley of the South London Press: "We've talked a lot about needing to recruit at the top end of the pitch.

"I think tonight we see that very clearly with opportunities to impress for players who have knocked on my door asking to play - and the clamour from the fanbase, at times, to see them play. I don't think there will be many people knocking on my door on Friday afternoon.

"We needed a number nine anyway. We certainly need a number nine...maybe two."

This was hardly a glowing endorsement after Langstaff's first full 90, and in the back of his mind he may be wondering whether a move to The Den was the right choice for him.

There's absolutely no doubt that Langstaff can score goals, and after he's scored his first he may enjoy a run of form, but at the moment things aren't going to plan for him in South London.

The step-up from League Two to the Championship is huge, and it was always going to take Langstaff time to adapt, but it could just be a case that he's perhaps not quite good enough for the second tier.

The next couple of weeks should give us a clear indication of whether the striker is capable of making an impact at Millwall, but Notts County will certainly be irked that their former star man is currently being wasted on the bench.