The frontman exited the pitch shortly after the half-hour mark, suffering a calf injury in the team’s most recent 1-0 loss to Lincoln Town. The Lions manager announced the player’s extended layoff at the beginning of the week.
On transfer deadline day, the 21-year-old moved to The Den, and following a goal in his first game at the end of last month (a 3-0 success over Sheffield Wednesday), it appeared he was off to a quick start.
However, this loss puts his team essentially back where they started, giving Macaulay Langstaff the ideal chance to show that he can be a consistent starter for the Championship team.
Macaulay Langstaff’s struggles after leaving Notts County for Millwall
After a productive two seasons at Notts County, when he scored 70 league goals to help the Magpies win promotion back to the Football League, Langstaff cemented his reputation as one of the best attackers in the lower leagues.
Because of this, he attracted a lot of interest throughout the summer, and Millwall reportedly paid a fee of around £700,000 for his services in order to assist Harris in the goalscoring area for the upcoming campaign.
However, there appeared to be a conflict of styles between the striker and the team from the beginning. Harris has frequently played with a more practical style of play, whilst Langstaff is a player who relies on opportunities being created for him.
Because of this, the former Gateshead player has had difficulty getting a start this season, with Coburn and Tom Bradshaw being favoured up top.
| Macaulay Langstaff’s league form over the past three seasons – Transfermarkt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | Division | P | G | A |
| 2021/22 | Gateshead FC | National League North | 39 | 28 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | Notts County | National League | 45 | 41 | 6 |
| 2023/24 | Notts County | League Two | 46 | 28 | 4 |
The 27-year-old must be fuming on the sidelines as he tries to get a game for a team that struggled for goals in the previous season since he has only played 110 minutes of Championship football thus far this season.
Langstaff finally had his chance to impress his manager and his new supporters after replacing Coburn on Saturday. He nearly pulled off an equaliser for his team, but Thomas Kaminski’s toe stopped him in a one-on-one situation.
Macaulay Langstaff can make the most of Josh Coburn setback
The news of Coburn will be devastating to Harris and Millwall, who already have summer signing Mihailo Ivanovic sidelined with a hamstring ailment. Bradshaw was ruled out last month due to a long-term knee problem.
With Harris highlighting the fact that the goal scorer can profit from the club’s current misery, Langstaff has a huge void in the striking department to fill.
It’s among those situations. “What is bad for one is good for another,” Harris said to the South London Press.
“Macaulay Langstaff was very unfortunate not to open his account for the club, but he played very well when he came on,” I said.
“He’s a natural goal scorer, so that goal shouldn’t be too far off.”
In light of this, Harris could need to alter the way the Lions play in the upcoming weeks as they try to maximise the potential of a man who can consistently reach the back of the net when given the right opportunity.
The jump from League Two to the Championship is regarded as a significant one, but goals don’t move, and Langstaff has often shown that, given the chance, he is capable of finding the back of the net.
The next two months might be pivotal in a multitude of ways as Langstaff attempts to fully establish himself as a Championship striker and the Lions hope he can adjust to his new environment in order to avoid finding it difficult to get points.
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