Zan Vipotnik has been backed to return to form for Swansea City – even though he is still not guaranteed to return to the starting line-up.
Swansea are flying in the Championship, leading the table after six games, and they take their unbeaten start to Southampton on Tuesday (19:45 BST).
And yet their leading goalscorer of last season has not got up and running.
Vipotnik, 24, took the second-tier golden boot with 23 league goals last term for a side that did not trouble the eventual race for the play-offs.
The tally was built on an eye-catching start where he had bagged five goals from the opening six games.
The same number of appearances into the 2026-27 season, and Vipotnik is still to find the net.
The latest chance came in the latter stages of Saturday’s goalless Welsh derby with Wrexham, Vipotnik having looked lively off the bench was unable to steer his stretch past Anthony Patterson to break the deadlock.
Swans boss Vitor Matos, though, appears calm.
Asked whether he expected the Slovenia international to find confidence and form soon, he replied: “I think if someone knows how to score goals it’s him, so I think it’s just a matter of scoring.”
Or perhaps a matter of time.
The obvious difference is that Vipotnik has only been given one league start so far this year, Adam Idah preferred in every game since the opening day win at Stoke City.
Idah, a £6m signing from Celtic a year ago, missed most of last season with injury, but has looked ready to make his mark with two goals so far.
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