Leeds United’s Luke Murphy has been nominated for the Championship’s January Player of the Month award and here is why…
Leeds United midfielder Luke Murphy is one of four players to be nominated for the Championship’s Player of the Month award for January.
The 25-year-old is up against Watford’s Odion Ighalo, Middlesbrough’s Lee Tomlin and Richard Stearman of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
So why has Murphy been nominated, and what chance does he have of winning?
Well a quick look at his statistics for January shows just how influential he has been for Leeds in recent times.
Two goals – against Birmingham City and Bournemouth – ensured Neil Redfearn’s side took four points from those two matches, while he also set up a vital goal in the 2-1 win against Huddersfield last weekend.
In short, Murphy has been vital in Leeds’ ongoing undefeated streak, and were it not for him the club would currently be five points worse off.
But there is more to Murphy than his goals and assists.
| Passing Accuracy | Goals | Goal Assists | Key Passes | On-target Shooting Accuracy | Duels Won | Tackles Won | Forward Passes | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke Murphy | 72% | 2 | 1 | 9 | 45% | 21 | 12 | 71 | 4 | 360 |
As you can see from the stats above, the Leeds player has a passing accuracy of 72 per cent – impressive for a midfielder in the combative second tier – while he also played nine key passes to set up goal-scoring opportunities for a teammate.
He also found the target with 45 per cent of his shots while his 71 forward passes speak of a player who sets the proverbial ball rolling time and again.
Leeds also benefited from his defensive abilities, as he won 21 duels and 12 tackles in January.
The winner will be announced on Friday, and Murphy has a great chance of coming out on top.
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