Rafa Benitez has suggested that Newcastle United need to get more out of Jacob Murphy to justify the hefty transfer fee they paid for the winger.
The 23-year-old arrived on Tyneside from Norwich City for around £10 million in 2017, but has struggled to make a real impact at St. James’ Park.
Murphy featured in Saturday’s 1-1 FA Cup third round draw with Blackburn Rovers for just his fourth start of the season, but failed to impress in a lacklustre display.
Speaking after the match, as quoted in the Chronicle, Benitez suggested that the former England youth international still had more to give.
He said: “We have to keep working with him.
“You can see the prices in the market, so I think we are still short in terms of how much we have spent, so we have to keep going and working with him.
“When you have players in this kind of games, where they have not been playing, then at least they have to try, and I think they tried.
“Murphy still has the potential and I hope [that he will come good]. You have to play well to play more games, that is the circle.”
OPINION
The sizeable price paid for Murphy in 2017 raised a few eyebrows at the time, and thus far the winger has done little to justify the fee paid for him by the Magpies. The 23-year-old has struggled to hold down a regular first team place, and when he has featured he has been mostly poor. Against Blackburn on Saturday he repeatedly failed to do the basics and looked rusty and lacking in confidence. The only way to get through those issues is to give Murphy regular game time, but given his current form, that represents something of a catch 22. If Benitez is willing to persist, however, and if Murphy is able to play his way back into form, he could prove to be a valuable player for the Magpies, and a cheaper alternative to going out and buying a new wide man. At the moment, with Kenedy and Christian Atsu performing below par, the Toon Army are crying out for a new creative force, whether Murphy is that man remains to be seen.