The young striker has had to battle injury problems and has not progressed like he would have wanted.
Paul Dummett of Newcastle United and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy of Aston Villa compete for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa…
It is now one year since Aston Villa finally tied down young striker Rushian Hepburn-Hepburn Murphy to a new deal at the club. It came after a long stand-off between the club and the player who was not agreeing to a new deal at Villa Park.
That saw him linked with the likes of Rangers and removed from the first-team picture by Villa boss Steve Bruce. But the teenager eventually did put pen to paper on a new deal to keep him at Villa in hope of eventually becoming a regular feature in the Villa first team.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (2nd R) of Aston Villa replaces Scott Sinclair (1st R) during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park on May 7, 2016…
So what has happened in the year since he decided to sign on the dotted line and commit his future to Villa?
In regards to the first-team at Villa, the answer is simply not much. He has not managed to force his way into regular football at Villa Park just yet. He has played just five times for the first team since finally agreeing it was where he wanted to continue his football development.
That does not mean he has not had a productive year. He has been scoring plenty of goals for the club’s under-23 team. The problem really has been with his fitness.
Steve Bruce manager of Aston Villa looks on during the Sky Bet Championship match between Derby County and Aston Villa at iPro Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Derby, England.
He has lacked playing time in the past 12 months because of problems with his knee and his hamstring and Aston Villa fans have rightly voiced their own concerns that the 19-year-old may never fulfil his potential at Villa as a consequence of his bad luck physically.
One year ago he had plenty of choices but Hepburn-Murphy has now committed to Aston Villa and his physical issues are definitely starting to hold him back.
Villa fans will love it if he can maintain his fitness and become a genuine first-team threat in the future.
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