There is a misconception in some places that a player who isn’t wanted by a club is a player who is past his best or isn’t good enough anymore.
That simply isn’t the case, Luke Murphy isn’t at the standard needed to compete for a place at Leeds United but he can make an impact at Burton Albion.
Luke Murphy was Leeds’ first £1 million player in over a decade a few years back and despite not hitting the heights that we expected he did leave with Leeds fans wishing him the best of luck and hoping he can find some consistent form with regular games. Just like Toumani Diagouraga Murphy is still capable despite being out of Garry Monk’s plans at Leeds. Bridcutt and O’Kane are superior players and offer Monk what he wants, with Kalvin Phillips and Ronaldo Vieira breaking into the first-team and playing well. Murphy quite simply can’t compete, but has proved that he is a very good player on his day.
Ability on the ball
Luke Murphy possesses some serious quality when he’s on form and, just as importantly, full of confidence. His best asset is his range of passing. He can do the short stuff well and open up play when needed, his vision allowing him to ping 30/40 yard passes. What he lacks in pace and power he can make up for on the ball but at Leeds he was having to many games where he couldn’t put his stamp on the game. The likes of Liam Bridcutt and Eunan O’Kane have the confidence to drop into tight positions and receive a pass, where Murphy could shy away if the pressure was on.
Leeds fans will also tell you that Murphy is a very committed player. It’s very rare that players take a pay cut to stay at the same club but that’s exactly what Murphy did in the summer of 2015. He took a significant cut in wages in order to sign a new long-term contract with the club. He won’t get to see out that deal by the looks of things as the loan may well spell the end for him at Leeds United, something everybody at the club now expects to see happen. In today’s footballing world a player taking a wage cut to stay long-term is alien as money is dished out on ridiculous levels. That one move from Luke Murphy earned him huge respect from the fan base at Leeds United, even the ones who didn’t rate him as player.
Leeds fans will be keeping an eye on Murphy as he looks to reignite a career that has been stop-start for a couple of years. The key to success with Murphy is a place where he feels important and relaxed, wanted possibly the best word. Good luck to him.
