The Newcastle United striker has hardly been seen and that is unlikely to change unless his path to the first-team is made easier.
According to a recent report from the Chronicle, Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez has no intention of selling Aleksandar Mitrovic in January despite plenty of interest in the Serbia international.
When you consider the Magpies are pushing for an instant return to the Premier League, it is no surprise that their manager wants as big a squad as possible, but there could be one Newcastle player who is keen to see the departure – either temporary or permanent – of Mitrovic.
Daryl Murphy’s move to St. James’ Park was somewhat surprising because, despite his impressive scoring rate, he was not really needed.
Newcastle already had Mitrovic, Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Perez, and yet Murphy made it four, struggling to make an impact in part due to injury but more recently due to the sheer number of players fighting for a place.
With Newcastle playing one up front and Gayle having a wonderful individual campaign, Murphy’s only real hope of moving up the pecking order is if Mitrovic moves on in pursuit of more regular football of his own.
At 33, Murphy will be desperate to play regularly and yet his only action since returning from a calf injury has been a 14-minute cameo against Hull City in the EFL Cup and a 45-minute outing for the under-23s against their West Bromwich Albion counterparts.
At this rate, Murphy could struggle to make another appearance for Newcastle’s senior side all season, but if Mitrovic does leave next month – which seems unlikely – at least it would vindicate his decision somewhat to turn his back on regular football for one last shot at the big time.
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