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At the turn of the year, you would have got long odds on Tawanda Maswanhise being around at Motherwell come the start of the 2026-27 season.
Frankly, it was something of a surprise to see him still donning claret and amber when the transfer window closed on February 4 given the amount of speculation which surrounded the Zimbabwean for the month leading up to that point.
Celtic and Rangers’ decision not to properly test Motherwell’s resolve was questioned by supporters of both clubs, who saw his signing as the one which would make the difference in their efforts to overhaul Hearts at the top of the table.
A no-brainer if ever there was one.
Alas, he stayed put and went on to finish the season with 22 goals in all competitions for Jens Berthel Askou’s swashbuckling side.
The Dane was always going to move on in the summer. As was Elijah Just, who added a couple of million on to his valuation after starring for New Zealand at the World Cup. Both departed for Toulouse and Swansea City respectively.
Talisman Tawanda Maswanhise is still struggling to find his best form for Motherwell
Maswanhise’s exit was inevitable. Until it wasn’t. No interest to speak of. No bids. Nothing at all.
Happy days, as far as the fans were concerned.
Unfortunately for them, this year’s version of their so-called star man isn’t the one they were expecting to see.
Twelve games into this new campaign and the 23-year-old has yet to really get up and running.
Some context has to be provided, of course. A broken jaw impacted his pre-season, meaning that he was a few steps behind when it came to building up to match fitness.
Maswanhise is also working under a new manager in Alfred Johansson, and while the young Swede has made a positive impression thus far, he is still very much in a period of transition following Askou’s much-heralded reign.
Teething problems are expected as the manager moves away from the previous style and puts his own stamp on things. Building relationships with players takes time too.
That’s all good and well. But if this season is to be a success for Johansson, he’s going to need much more from Maswanhise.
Both of the Zimbabwe international's goals so far have come from the penalty spot
Two goals in his 12 outings — both of which came from the spot — isn’t the kind of return the new boss was banking on from his talisman.
It’s not a new problem, mind you. In the final 10 Premiership games of last season, he netted just once. Something’s clearly not quite right.
For the record, he deserves immense credit for not allowing his head to be turned last year. It would have been perfectly understandable if that hadn’t been the case.
Attitude isn’t — nor has it ever been — an issue. Indeed, he’s always seemed quite happy in North Lanarkshire and has never kicked up any sort of fuss behind the scenes. A consummate professional, so it would seem.
However, if he has any ambition to play at a higher level — and he believes he has the potential to do so — then he can’t afford to let this slump carry on any longer.
There’s an argument that he’s trying too hard at the moment, if there is such a thing. In the 4-0 thumping against Aberdeen on Tuesday evening, he saw plenty of the ball on the right-hand side but often chose the wrong option.
Watching him sometimes, you get the feeling he doesn’t quite know what he’s going to do when he gets it. Neither do defenders for that matter. And that’s what makes him so compelling to watch when in full flight.
So much of his game is based on instinct, but right now, he looks like he’s spending too much time in his own head pondering his next move when in possession. And it’s significantly hampering his influence.
Motherwell manager Alfred Johansson has yet to see the best of Maswanhise this season
Maswanhise has featured predominantly on the right-hand side under Johansson. It was the same with Askou. But given Motherwell’s lack of a focal point up top so far this season, it might be worth seeing what he can do in a central position against Dundee this afternoon.
The Steelmen play the most attractive football in the Premiership, but don’t have a cutting edge. Despite dominating possession in their last two fixtures against Rangers and Aberdeen, they have no points and no goals to show for it.
And very few clear-cut chances to speak of either. That needs to change.
Johansson has far more ticks than crosses next to his name over the first couple of months in the job. He has a crystal-clear idea of how he wants his side to play and is going to stick to it come hell or high water.
That in itself takes a level of confidence you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a 36-year-old in just his second managerial role. He’s an impressive figure all round.
Which is why nobody with a stake in Motherwell should be worried about whether he will be able to find a solution to their problems in the final third.
Helping Maswanhise get back to something like the player who spent most of last season tearing up the top flight for fun would be a start.
