Niclas Eliasson has had a stop-start season with Bristol City.

The Swede is a favourite at Ashton Gate. He's now in his fourth season at the club having signed from Swedish Allsvenskan side IFK Norrkoping in 2017, being an ever-present of the first team since.

He's often been a bit-part player though - Eliasson has never really held down a starting spot under Lee Johnson for more than a string of fixtures, and he's going through a spell on the bench right now.

This season, Eliasson has made 33 appearances in the Championship - the same amount as he managed throughout the whole of last season. It's certainly been his best season at the club having scored three goals and created 12, making him one of the league's most creative outlets - only Matheus Pereira of West Brom has more.

So why, if Eliasson has been creating so many goals and chipping in with a few of his own, has he been subject to the bench for much of the season?

His campaign began from the bench but after making such an impact off it, setting up goals and destroying teams down the left-flank, Johnson simply couldn't leave him out of the starting line-up.

Eliasson then enjoyed a good run in the side over the festive period. He was starting to make in imprint on the side and was garnering 90-minutes most weeks.

But towards the end of last month, he started to come off after an hour or so. His fitness was coming into question and Johnson has since dropped him for the last two outings, playing seven minutes at Millwall and just the one in their 1-1 draw with Fulham last time out.

Perplexing as Johnson can be, his continued omission of Eliasson is most baffling - he's opting for the likes of Callum O'Dowda on the left who, as good a footballer as he might be, has scored one goal all season, and simply doesn't offer the same sort of service from that left-hand side.

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Even Jamie Paterson on the right - he returned from a loan-spell at Derby County where he couldn't break into the side, and has since netted three times on his return. But even he doesn't pose the same outlet as Eliasson.

There's been debate about Eliasson all season - his contract is up in 2021 and there was debate over renewing it, whilst in January he was heavily linked with a move to Celtic, but remains on the Bristol City bench instead.

The Robins currently sit in 7th-place of the Championship table - just one point behind 6th-place Preston. Overall it's been a good season for Johnson, and it could be his best finish yet.

But fans have become increasingly frustrated with the ex-player, and decisions like his one to leave Eliasson out constantly is largely behind that anger.

They have the players and the depth to be a title-contending team. Players like Eliasson, Nahki Wells, Famara Diedhiou and all their summer signings had set them up for a strong season but so far, they're being held back by a stubborn Johnson, and it could force a few big names out of the door come this summer.