OPINION
West Bromwich Albion have been looking slightly bereft of attacking impetus since loan star Harvey Barnes returned to parent club Leicester City in January.
Without him the team have appeared short on pace and cutting edge in the final third. Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez are both speedy attackers, but neither of them stretch the pitch in the way a natural winger like Barnes did.
Luckily for Darren Moore, then, the team’s new loan arrival Jacob Murphy has picked up Barnes’s mantle early on. In Tuesday’s 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest the Newcastle United loanee showed what he could do, producing a performance, particularly in the second half, that will encourage Baggies fans no end.
He wasn’t perfect, indeed he looked desperately short of confidence in the first half. But he grew into the game and opened his West Brom account after the break.
Moore needs someone to step up and replace the goals and creativity of Barnes – Murphy looks like he could be that man. It hasn’t quite worked out for him so far at Newcastle, but he has great pedigree in the Championship and remains an exciting prospect.
If he can just get his confidence back then he’ll be a huge asset to the Baggies, and could end up fueling their promotion push this season.
He showed fine goalscoring instincts to pounce on a loose ball and fire West Brom level on Tuesday, and that’s what the team needs from their wingers.
The club’s fans will have enjoyed his second half contribution and may feel that they enjoyed a glimpse of the player who’ll fire them back to the Premier League.