Rob Apter may be regretting his Charlton Athletic move for one clear reason involving Nathan Jones | OneFootball

Rob Apter has struggled to build any kind of rhythm for his new club Charlton Athletic

Rob Apter has failed to find any kind of rhythm in the frontline for his new club Charlton Athletic yet, with game time coming at a premium in recent weeks.

After making a keen impression over the past couple of seasons with Blackpool and League Two outfit, Tranmere, the Scottish youth international Apter signed for Charlton in the summer as a direct replacement for the outgoing Thierry Small, who departed for fellow Championship rivals Preston.

The 22-year-old scored 20 goals and provided nine assists in 82 EFL appearances prior to his arrival at the Valley, making him one of the brightest talents Charlton were quick to sign.

Apter was introduced into the Addicks' side under Nathan Jones, where he continued his good form by being a constant threat in forward areas, including netting the equaliser in their eventual loss to QPR at the end of August and winning the club's Player of the Month award.

However, in recent weeks, game-time has come at a premium for the youngster, who will be wishing for a way back into Jones' starting XI.

If things are to continue in the same vein for the Scotsman, then he may even be regretting Charlton as his chosen destination.

Rob Apter seems to have fallen out of favor with Nathan Jones

With nine games of the season played at the turn of the international break, Apter has featured in five of Charlton's fixtures since their promotion to the Championship last season via the play-offs.

Although a young player, Apter has a wealth of experience playing in League One and Two and has already displayed that he is more than capable of making the step-up to the second tier. However, his progression has been halted.

Apter's last outing for the Addicks was in their 1-1 draw at home to Millwall, where he played 61 minutes before being replaced by Southampton loanee James Bree, who has been the one to keep his spot permanently since returning from injury.

Despite not putting a foot wrong when handed the opportunity to impress his new manager, it's evident that Jones would prefer a bit more know-how in the way of Bree, who has been outstanding since being handed his debut by his ex-Luton Town boss and the man who signed him for Southampton.

The 27-year-old has scored two goals and provided two assists in only five games so far for the Addicks, including a stellar performance in their 3-0 win against Blackburn where he found the net and set up the opener.

If Bree is to continue his purple patch of form, then it would come as no surprise to Charlton fans if Apter's role was from off the bench. That being said, Addicks supporters will be gutted to not see him get his chance to further impress Jones after such a promising start to life in South East London.

Rob Apter is patiently waiting in the wings for his reintroduction ahead of James Bree

When it comes to recruitment in the summer, the Addicks made plenty of additions in attacking areas in preparation for the challenges that the Championship has to offer.

Bringing in the likes of Charlie Kelman, Harvey Knibbs, and Tanto Olaofe, alongside their existing talent like Tyreece Campbell, was always going to make it a tough ask for Apter to be given regular playing time. However, after a consistently quality start to life in a Charlton shirt, it's a surprise that he hasn't even been brought on for a substitute cameo over the past four games - Jones may have missed a trick.

For example, their 1-1 draw at Pride Park away to Derby County would be viewed by Addicks fans as a game that was there for the taking after holding the lead for the majority of the game. Apter could have been that creative spark needed in order to kill off the game in the second half, but instead Jones opted for fellow youngster Miles Leaburn who is yet to score for Charlton this season.

It's not for the want of trying for Apter, however, after hitting double digits for goal contributions in back-to-back seasons, Jones should certainly have more faith in the young Scot to be the difference in turning results into three points.