When Charlton Athletic can expect Harvey Knibbs to be starting games - "It's hard to see" | OneFootball

FLW’s Charlton Athletic fan pundit has revealed when he thinks Harvey Knibbs will make his impact at The Valley after a slow start.

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…

Charlton Athletic have made an acceptable start on their return to the Championship, but will want to increase their points tally over the coming weeks to steer clear of any relegation danger.

The Addicks returned to the second-tier for the first time since 2020 under Nathan Jones after triumphing over Leyton Orient in last season’s League One play-off final at Wembley, and are already beginning to make their mark after taking the step up.

Charlton claimed all three points in their opening game of the 2025-26 campaign against Watford before earning an impressive point away at Bristol City, but have since suffered disappointing defeats against Leicester City and QPR.

It’s the first test of their mettle in the division to see if they can bounce back from adversity, and Nathan Jones will be confident his players have the tools to take maximum points in their next outing against Millwall.

Over the course of the summer transfer window, the Addicks brought 10 new players into the building, including attacking midfielder Harvey Knibbs from Reading.

But since his arrival, the 26-year-old has failed to start for the club, coming off the bench in all four of their league games and raising questions as to when he will get his first chance from the opening whistle.

With this in mind, FLW’s Charlton Athletic pundit has issued his thoughts on when Knibbs will be able to make an impact in the starting XI.

Winter period targeted for Harvey Knibbs to make Charlton Athletic impact

Speaking to Football League World, Charlton Athletic fan pundit Sam White has highlighted Harvey Knibbs’ low "match sharpness" as the reason for his lack of starts, believing the attacking midfielder will be a valuable figure during the winter period when injuries impact the squad.

Sam said: "With Harvey Knibbs, obviously he’s had zero pre-season and is obviously struggling for fitness. It's amazing how quickly footballers lose fitness over a period of six weeks or two months, but I think once he gets his fitness back and a bit of match sharpness, I think he will be one to start. However, it's hard to see where he fits in and who he starts over.

"Do you drop your captain in (Greg) Docherty for Harvey Knibbs? Unlikely. You're not going to be dropping Conor Coventry, so it's likely to be Sonny Carey, but he’s done very well so far and linked up with Rob Apter very well, so it will be interesting to see.

"Is he ready to step into the starting XI? Probably not, as I say, because of fitness and a lack of droppable options, but I think he's definitely someone for the Christmas period and obviously January, February time, when injuries occur."

Harvey Knibbs will be a valuable asset to Charlton Athletic

While Harvey Knibbs has been limited to very short spells of time off the bench so far this season, he’s already showcased that he can have influence games, particularly against Watford when he netted the winning goal.

It does make sense that he has been eased into action after being thrown straight into the deep end with no pre-season, and his fitness will build up with the more training he does, with the international break an important period which will hopefully see his minutes increase from the bench moving forward.

All Knibbs can do at the moment is to keep impressing when called upon from the sidelines, and if he continues to work hard and make a difference, then he will earn starts in the future.

As FLW’s Charlton Athletic fan pundit alluded to, the winter period may be the time for him to make his mark, given managers are chopping and changing their teams to deal with the hectic scheduling of a second-tier season.

Knibbs’ ability to get on the ball and be a creative spark in the final third will stand Charlton in great stead to survive their first season back in the Championship, but Jones must start to utilise him soon, so the goals can continue to flow at the top end of the pitch.