Steve Bruce has been speaking about our forgotten £10m man Jacob Murphy following his return from Sheffield Wednesday.
The Newcastle United boss has confirmed the Owls “think the world of him” and are eager to bring him back to Hillsborough, but insists he’ll give the winger a chance to impress over pre-season before making a decision on his future.
Interestingly, Bruce believes that it’s already clear he’s “developed a bit” following a successful loan stint in the second tier last season and is expected to hand the 25-year-old a 45-minute run out in our pre-season clash with Crewe Alexandra tomorrow.
Here’s what Bruce has had to say about the former Norwich star:
“Jacob has trained with us the last few days.
“He probably thinks to himself he hasn’t had a fair crack of the whip.
“Certainly, I haven’t seen a great deal of him. I’ll be interested to see how he does.
“I know he had a really good spell at Sheffield Wednesday last year and did very well.”
“They think the world of him. He did very, very well and would like him back, that’s fair to say.
“I am going to take my time with him and have a look.
“We have plenty time with it to see what the next step is.
“He has had a successful loan and looks like he’s developed a bit, so we will see what he will do.”
Murphy ended 2019/20 with 9 goals and 6 assists for Sheffield Wednesday, with many in Yorkshire gutted to see him leave after an involvement in 8 goals in their final 8 games of the Championship season.
That said, it was reported by various outlets last week that Bruce was ready to cash in on the the winger or send him out on loan again if no cash offers arrive.
I’m not convinced Murphy has what it takes, but he did show some glimpses of real quality at Sheffield Wednesday and may just have returned a different player.
Hopefully he can prove that against Crewe tomorrow!
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