THE future of midfielder Yaser Kasim could lie elsewhere in the summer according to head coach Luke Williams as he struggles for form at Swindon Town.

The Iraqi midfielder, who was brought to the club by Williams, having coached him at Brighton & Hove Albion, was pivotal in the side that made it to the play-off finals two seasons ago.

His stature at the club was so much that there were rumours aplenty of interest from Premier League sides Swansea City and West Ham United.

However, a move failed to materialise and in the season and a half since, the 25-year-old has been a shadow of his former self, with his form even translating onto the national stage, having retired from representing Iraq, a decision on which he quickly made a U-turn.

Such is the concern with Kasim’s form, Williams has been forced to leave him out of the side, opting for the more physical presence of Rohan Ince at the weekend against Bury, but the Town head coach says that he is unable to pin down the reason behind the midfielder’s poor performances.

“It’s fair to say we haven’t had a really strong defensive performance from a midfield player for a while,” said Williams, when asked about the player he saw make his debut for at Brighton against Notts County six years ago.

“I felt like Yaser again, in the Oxford game, didn’t quite show that physical side well enough.

“I have known Yaser a long time and he is an incredibly talented player but for one reason or another, I don’t think he is performing to anywhere near his best and at the moment, he needs to come out of the team.

“Players fall out of form because of a combination of things, sometimes off the pitch as well.

“I wish I could find the reason and try to make everything okay for Yaser because he is a very important player and has given a fantastic service to us.

“He is somebody that I think a lot of personally so I would love for him to be in top form.

“I think Yaser in top form is as good a player as you’ll see at this level for sure, unfortunately he doesn’t seem to be able to quite find it.

“I think that is a realistic scenario in the summer; that he will leave and find a new home and maybe reinvigorate himself and start to play the football he is capable of.

“I have known him since he was a young boy and desperately trying to make a career for himself.

“It looked as though he was drifting away from football at one point.

“He came here and I think, certainly for the first two seasons, he was absolutely fantastic and last season, there was far more good from Yaser than bad.

“This year, he hasn’t been able to recapture that.”