Scott Fraser has endured a difficult start to life at Charlton Athletic after signing from Ipswich Town in January.

The Scotsman has been a very effective attacking midfielder in League One in his time with Burton Albion and Milton Keynes Dons.

This season has stalled Fraser's career path a touch, but the competition for places with the Tractor Boys was immense and the 26-year-old contracted coronavirus at a very inconvenient time after signing for Charlton.

The Addicks have been on a downward spiral for a while now, and that has made it harder for Fraser to ease his way into the side, with so much tension on and off the pitch under Johnnie Jackson.

Fraser has made five appearances, two starts and has amassed 242 minutes in a Charlton shirt according to Wyscout.

The standout moment in that time was his classy assist for Chuks Aneke in the Addicks' 2-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.

It was after that impressive substitute appearance that Fraser caught the virus and missed the next couple of weeks of action, by the time he returned, the club were on a four match losing streak.

Fraser has started the last two games, a 0-0 draw with Sunderland and 2-1 defeat at Accrington Stanley, but in a box to box number eight role, rather than the ten to which he thrived in at Milton Keynes Dons.

 

 

Fraser is at his best when receiving possession between the lines, enabling him to face a backline and choose the right option to create a shooting opportunity, that is far more difficult as a more conventional central midfielder and Jackson needs to re-assess to get the best out of him.

The Scotsman has managed just two shot assists in his 242 minutes for the Addicks, one shot and summing up his frustrating start further, only three touches in the opposition's penalty area.

This has been a result of tactical shortcomings, more than poor individual displays and if Jackson does not reconsider his formation in the coming weeks and months, Charlton may not be mathematically safe from relegation until the final few weeks of the campaign.

With limited time to judge his move to Charlton, it still feels like Fraser would have been better off staying at MK Dons last summer.