Former Sunderland and England striker Kevin Phillips has said he is surprised by Zan Vipotnik's lack of game time at Swansea City this season.
The Slovenian won the Championship Golden Boot last season after scoring 23 goals in 44 games. That form attracted attention from clubs in Britain and abroad, although Hull City were the only side to make a concrete bid, which was rejected.
Vipotnik's limited starts this campaign
Despite that impressive season, the 24-year-old has found starts harder to come by this term, featuring in the starting line-up just three times. Much of that is down to the form of Republic of Ireland striker Adam Idah, who has nine starts and four goals to Vipotnik's two so far.
Phillips believes Vipotnik should be given a greater share of the goalscoring responsibilities.
Phillips backs Vipotnik over Idah
"I'm not sure Idah is a better option than him," he told BestBettingSites.co.uk. "Vipotnik scored tons of goals last season, led the line really well; he's a handful."
"So for me, I am surprised why he's not playing. Perhaps there's something going on in the background; we don't know, a falling out. Maybe he's asked to leave; we don't know."
"But Adam Idah has big boots to fill after Vipotnik scored so many goals last year as the main man."
Potential summer sale and weekend selection
Phillips added that if Swansea sell Vipotnik in the summer, they would likely receive a significant fee and could then replace him. He said Vipotnik is probably the better option at the moment because he has scored more goals, while Idah must keep performing to stay in the side.
Both strikers will be vying for selection this weekend, with Blackburn Rovers visiting the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday.
