David Edgar, Dave Marshall and Colin McMillan discussed all things Rangers on the latest edition of the Heart and Hand podcast, where the panel spent some time talking about Jamie Murphy, who recently departed Ibrox to join fellow Scottish Premiership side Hibernian on an initial season-long loan deal.
Murphy originally joined the Gers on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion from 7th January 2018 until 14th May 2018. The winger’s move to Ibrox subsequently became a permanent one in July 2018 when the Glasgow-based club paid £1.08m to sign him.
However, the 31-year-old only made 10 appearances for the Gers after moving to the club on a permanent deal, as he spent the majority of the 2018/19 season on the sidelines due to a cruciate ligament injury.
After spending from 20th January until the end of May 2020 on loan at Burton Albion, where he scored seven goals and provided two assists in 10 league appearances, he has now joined Hibernian on an initial season-long loan, before his move to Easter Road is set to become permanent next summer.
Marshall shared his thoughts on Murphy’s departure from Ibrox on an initial loan deal during this recent edition of the Heart and Hand podcast and he disagreed with the club’s decision to part ways with Murphy, saying: “I think that it’s weird to let him go like this.
“Last season, I could understand it. I was a bit concerned [that] this injury might be curtains for Jamie Murphy, but he went away last year on loan, did great by all accounts, and I was hoping he’d have a part to play in this team.
“Am I convinced, sitting right here, now in August 2020 that Brandon Barker’s a better option than Jamie Murphy? I’m not.
“I can see Jamie Murphy going to Hibs and having a great season and we’ll see numerous tweets and comments and message boards saying: ‘why did we let this guy go?’
“That’s when I really need to scratch my head. I think we should’ve hung onto him, I really do.”
Do you think that Rangers should have kept Murphy at Ibrox for this season?
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TIF Thoughts…
While Marshall seems to feel that the Gers may look back on their decision to part ways with Murphy as a mistake, we feel that it’s not too surprising that the 31-year-old appears to have been deemed surplus to requirements, considering that the Glasgow-based club have got a plethora of options for the left-wing position and he ultimately hasn’t played a significant role for the Gers since moving to Ibrox on a permanent deal.
The left-winger has had the chance to play just 36 minutes of football since joining Hibernian, so we’ll have to wait and see if he does go on to enjoy a positive campaign, as Marshall seems to believe he will, and Rangers regret not keeping him at Ibrox.