diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/transform/ShortcutImplicits.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/transform/ShortcutImplicits.scala
index f574a34a6685..06c265e29d2a 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/transform/ShortcutImplicits.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/dotc/transform/ShortcutImplicits.scala
@@ -129,6 +129,9 @@ class ShortcutImplicits extends MiniPhase with IdentityDenotTransformer { thisPh
             .appliedToArgss(vparamSymss.map(_.map(ref(_))) :+ clparamSyms.map(ref(_)))
           val fwdClosure = cpy.Block(tree)(cpy.DefDef(meth)(rhs = forwarder) :: Nil, cl)
           (remappedCore, fwdClosure)
+        case id: Ident =>
+          val SAMType(mt) = id.tpe.widen
+          splitClosure(tpd.Lambda(mt, args => id.select(nme.apply).appliedToArgs(args))(ctx.withOwner(original)))
         case EmptyTree =>
           (_ => _ => EmptyTree, EmptyTree)
       }
diff --git a/tests/pos/i5295.scala b/tests/pos/i5295.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1fb0a4292394
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/pos/i5295.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+inline def foo: String = bar given (4)
+private def bar: given Int => String = "baz"