Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit issues Macaulay Langstaff, Millwall exit claim | OneFootball

Langstaff's first season at The Den hasn't gone according to plan

Don Goodman believes that Macaulay Langstaff could consider a departure from Millwall this summer after a frustrating first campaign with the club.

It was a relatively successful campaign for the Lions as a collective, as Alex Neil, who was appointed in late December, was able to galvanise his squad in the latter stages of the season and mount a surge towards the play-off places, eventually falling just two places and as many points short of Bristol City in sixth after suffering a 3-1 away defeat to Burnley on the final day of the season.

Millwall were hardly prolific throughout the course of the regular Championship season, with a tally of 47 goals from 46 games being the third-lowest total in the division ahead of Hull City and Luton Town, both of whom also endured contrasting fortunes on the final day of the season.

Langstaff was acquired for a reported initial sum of £700,000 plus add-ons after two remarkably prolific spells with Gateshead and, latterly, Notts County, as the Magpies achieved promotion back to the EFL in 2022/23 and consolidated back in League Two last season with a 14th-place finish.

The 28-year-old's switch to South London brought with it plenty of intrigue as many looked to see whether he could replicate a tally of 70 goals in just 91 games at Meadow Lane during his first experience of second-tier football.

However, due to the emergence of Serbian wonderkid, Mihailo Ivanovic, in particular, Langstaff has found it extremely difficult to source regular minutes, and his long-term future at the Den is already up for debate, with Goodman the latest to weigh in.

Don Goodman believes Macaulay Langstaff could consider Millwall departure after frustrating season

The North East native was Harris' first signing during his last window as Millwall boss, with Ivanovic joining in the latter stages for a then-club-record fee to bolster the club's attacking options alongside Tom Bradshaw, who has since departed for Oxford United.

It took Langstaff six games to make the first of just 14 starts for the club, with his only goal and two assists coming in back-to-back games against QPR and Preston North End in September, before being reduced to largely substitute cameos.

Whilst still being in his 'prime', Goodman believes that the forward wouldn't be content with such a predicament for much longer, and that he could look to move on in the near future, despite penning a 'long-term contract' at the time of his arrival.

"Millwall had a brilliant, brilliant season finishing eighth, but Macaulay Langstaff only started 14 Championship games," the pundit exclusively told Football League World. "He was involved in 34 but only started 14. One goal and two assists.

"It's not the way he probably dreamt it when he signed on the dotted line. He's just found it difficult to adapt, maybe, to the level.

"I certainly think, at 28 years old, in the prime of his career, he would without question, want to be playing regular first-team football rather than bit-parts," Goodman explained.

"If the opportunity for Macaulay Langstaff (came) to leave for a club where he's going to play week in, week out, and have a chance to get back doing what he does best, what he loves doing, scoring goals, I should imagine he'd be keen to try and make that happen."

Macaulay Langstaff may have to take a step back to reignite goalscoring form

It would be extremely unfair to suggest that Langstaff has fully lost his knack of scoring goals, and Goodman is right in suggesting that the step-up in class may have just proven too challenging, as well as Ivanovic's strong form, which has seen him linked with a move to Lazio.

Having proven way too good for League Two level in just one season with Notts, a step back into a side looking to mount a promotion bid in League One could be an enticing option, especially with the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Huddersfield Town, Blackpool and Rotherham United carrying out major rebuilding jobs after the majority of the quartet endured majorly underwhelming seasons, and have been linked with an array of striking options heading into the off-season.