OPINION
Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy must demand a temporary exit from St James Park after Rafa Benitez wasted him yet again this season when putting together his team for the clash with Liverpool.
The Spanish boss unleashed several players who hardly feature into his starting line-up for the clash with the Reds on Boxing Day yet Murphy was only named on the bench.
The Reds then cruised to a 4-0 victory and were comfortable for the majority of the game, but despite this Benitez still opted to hinder the 23-year-old’s chances to impress him by only bringing off the bench for the last nine minutes of the match.
Given that Murphy was no doubt chomping at the bit to impress, he could have made a more notable impact if given a few more minutes to work with.
The winger has only featured in eight league matches for the Magpies this season, including Wednesday’s clash with the Reds, and seems to be someway off being considered a first-regular for Benitez.
Fellow winger Christian Atsu for example has dramatically improved his form after being handed a few chances in recent weeks and has leapfrogged Murphy in the pecking order.
This means the 23-year-old winger is even less likely than ever before to get enough first-team action he needs in order to improve.
While Murphy is at an age where he should be regularly playing football for his side, you feel that he isn’t at the stage in his development he should be at.
The winger has blistering pace but his decision making and crosses still leave a lot to be desired.
However not getting consistent playing time isn’t going to see him improve and if anything he is currently stagnating as it stands.
Given that Benitez didn’t even give him a significant amount of time against Liverpool like other fringe players at the club, Murphy must insist on getting a loan move away to help him kick-on.
The 23-year-old could thrive while away from the club and return in the summer ready to make a real difference.
If the player, who earns £25,000-per-week as it stands (Source: Spotrac), opts to stay put it is hard to imagine him being able to steer his career in the right direction.