After confirming that Fabian Schar (hamstring) will miss our trip to Burnley, Eddie Howe has been speaking about Alex Murphy and his progress behind the scenes.
The 19-year-old Irishman arrived from Galway United in the summer of 2022 and has been “impressive in training”, with Howe revealing that he’s developed into a “really good defender” who is “very comfortable on the ball.”
Murphy played the final 10 minutes of last weekend’s 5-1 win over Sheffield United and has trained with the first-team nearly all season.
In light of Schar’s injury, Howe has hinted at more minutes for the teenage defender – who is in talks over a new deal – and praised his ability to play in multiple positions across a back four.
“Alex (Murphy) has been impressive in training”, Howe said. “I have been really pleased with him. He’s been with us all season, near enough, and he has grown and developed into a really good defender. He’s very comfortable on the ball.
“He had a little cameo last week and with Fabian’s injury, it maybe gives him an opportunity to come into the team. He’s versatile – he can play in both positions (left-back or centre-back). Anything down that left-hand side. But with Fabian’s injury, he would probably be the one to shift over to the right as well.
“If we can sign young players and develop them – Alex came to the club recently for a really good deal for us – that’s another part of the transfer strategy we need to use.”
