A lot has been made about Bristol City's struggles in front of goal so far this season, particularly following the Robins' 1-1 draw with QPR at Ashton Gate this weekend.

Despite dominating possession and creating several big chances in the match, the only goal the Reds managed to score came from a moment of individual brilliance from Scott Twine as the former Burnley man curled home an excellent free-kick with his first touch just moments after replacing Yu Hirakawa.

The likes of Anis Mehmeti, Nahki Wells and Jason Knight all had their own chances to find the net, but lacked that cutting edge needed to convert, much to the frustration of their manager.

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"That’s the bit I can’t do, unfortunately," Manning explained in his post-match press conference. "If you look at the performances, that’s probably the frustration because it’s quite clear that we have an identity, we press really well, we’re aggressive in duels, and then have good control with the ball.

"It’s not the first time I’ve sat here saying this or a similar thing. We had 17 shots, only five or six on target, but we missed three clear-cut chances, for me, there’s only so much work I can do.

"It’s then about executing and the final actions, and we’ll keep working away, but at the same time, if we want to shift away from being a mid-table championship side you need people to step up and execute, and deliver."

Of course, the likes of Wells and Mehmeti have shown they can step up and deliver already this season. The pair are first and second in the Robins' scoring charts and have been two of City's more consistent performers. However, the Robins have only managed to convert two of their 35 shots in their last three matches.

And with four games in the space of 10 days over the festive period, Manning will more than likely be forced to rest and rotate his squad as it is unlikely Wells will be able to play every minute against West Brom, Luton Town, Portsmouth and Plymouth Argyle.

The Bristol City boss isn't blessed with striking options at this moment in time. With the severity of Sinclair Armstrong's injury unclear, Fally Mayulyu is the only obvious alternative to Wells in the final third. Manning has recently suggested there is more work for the Frenchman to do as he continues to find his feet in the Championship having arrived from Rapid Vienna this summer. On top of that, it seems unlikely Harry Cornick will be restored to the starting XI with the former Luton Town man yet to make a league appearance so far this term having held honest chats with the head coach this summer.

That could lead the 39-year-old to think outside the box in the coming weeks and Sam Bell is one man that has all but thrown his hat into the ring as a potential solution in recent days.

Having picked up a hamstring injury in City's Carabao Cup defeat to Coventry City at the start of the campaign, the 22-year-old has returned to full fitness to feature off of the bench in each of the Reds' last four matches against Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Sunderland and QPR. In that time, Bell has played as a wing-back and a right-winger, he admits his preferred position would be elsewhere on the field.

"Growing up I was always a striker, always a nine," the forward told Bristol Live ahead of the weekend's clash with QPR. "I used to really enjoy playing there so I'd definitely like to play there if I could, and on the left.

"I think they're my two strongest positions, but sometimes football required that within the team you might have to do a job sometimes, filling in, in a more defensive role.

"But in an ideal world, a more attacking role is where I'd like to play."

It has been a long time since supporters saw Bell play as a striker in the Robins' first team. When Nigel Pearson handed the teenager his full Championship debut against Stoke City all the way back in April of 2021, the academy graduate started alongside Wells in a front two, but an injury meant he was forced off just 16 minutes after kick-off.

The 2021/22 campaign saw Bell primarily deployed out wide on the right when fit but in his brief spell on loan with Grimbsy in the National League, the Robins gem tended to be used as a centre-forward, as was the case when he played for City's under-21s. Since then, almost all of the 22-year-old's first-team minutes have come out wide, with Bell exclusively playing as a winger or wing-back under the management of Manning.

That doesn't mean the Reds head coach would be against playing the forward in a more central position, however. When Chris Hogg was asked whether or not Bell was an option through the middle, the assistant head coach replied simply: "He's a footballer and that's what I've spoken about quite a lot with the players.

"If you look at George Earthy coming into the team, he's played right-back, right wing-back, number 10 and he's played a little bit when he rotates as a six. So Belly's just a footballer, he's a great kid and he's somebody who's worked tremendously hard to be back in the position he's in. I think for us it will be utilising his strengths, which I think are pretty evident around how he can attack space, how he moves and some of his quality on the finishing action. I see him doing a bit of everything really."

Bell's goal record in City colours may not be the most incredible, but he showed in games against Swansea City, Southampton and Plymouth Argyle last season that he can be an incredibly composed finisher in the final third and that bit of cutting-edge is what Manning's side have been lacking in this difficult recent run of form.

According to Fbref, the academy gradute placed in the 92nd percentile for goals per shot on target per 90 minutes, when compared with his positional peers last season. On top of that, he overperformed his xG by 0.03 per game which shows his quality in the opposition penalty area.

Would starting the 22-year-old in a central role solve all of the Robins' scoring problems? Of course not. As Manning himself said after Saturday's draw with QPR, he doesn't have a "crystal ball" to predict the future, but it could be an option worth considering with options set to be restricted slightly over the congested festive period.

Anyone who has watched Bell in action for the under-21s will know just how good a finisher he is. Whether it be as a starter or off the bench, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him player a major role in an attacking sense over the next four matches.

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