Newcastle could strike gold with Murphy

Newcastle United’s U21s had been concerned in a weird finish to a sport on Tuesday evening within the youthful Tyne-Put on derby in opposition to Sunderland.

Black Cats goalkeeper Alex Bass scored a 94th-minute equaliser after arising for a nook after which admitted, after the match, that the ball got here off his hand and may have been disallowed.

Exterior of the controversial finish to the sport, there have been loads of positives to take from Newcastle’s show and first-team supervisor Eddie Howe could also be excited by the prospect of selling a couple of of the gamers who had been on present.

One teen who caught the attention in the course of the sport was left-back, and summer season signing, Alex Murphy. Magpies journalist Dominic Scurr handed the gem an 8/10 for his efficiency, writing:

“The highly-rated defender’s first style of Tyne-Put on derby motion noticed him lead the aspect out as captain. The summer season signing acquired caught in and was a relaxed head on the again to assist maintain Sunderland at bay. Regardless of being one of many youngest members of the squad, Murphy performs with a maturity and composure past his years.”

Murphy signed from Galway United in the summertime and their chairman, Jack Barrett, beforehand claimed that the teen is a “huge talent“.

Is Murphy a future star for Newcastle?

The 18-year-old has caught the attention since making the transfer to Newcastle, and is beginning to stay as much as that tag with Day by day Mail journalist Craig Hope claiming that he has been “impressed” by the left-back forward of the conflict with Sunderland earlier this week.

He’s an international for the Republic of Eire at youth degree and has proven indicators of promise in opposition to senior sides within the EFL Trophy this season. In two video games in opposition to Doncaster and Lincoln, Murphy made a mixed 5 tackles and interceptions, created one likelihood, and gained an distinctive 82% of his aerial battles – as per SofaScore.

These statistics present that he has the potential to play professionally as he has confirmed, on the age of 18, that he can stand as much as the bodily take a look at of taking part in in opposition to skilled, senior, gamers. For context, Dan Burn and Matt Targett have gained 70% and 56% of their aerial battles respectively within the Premier League.

He did greater than maintain his personal in these matches as he bodily dominated the opposition within the air and this means that he might deal with the step as much as first-team degree from that perspective, which is backed up by his 32 appearances for Galways’s senior aspect.

Subsequently, Howe might strike gold with Murphy by serving to him to develop right into a key first-team participant for the Magpies sooner or later.

The teen, who has two assists within the Premier League 2 this season, has loads of years left forward of him to develop and enhance as a full-back, and his early type for the U21s suggests that he’s a gem value mining within the months and years to come back.