Jacob Murphy has endured a frustrating spell at Newcastle United so far, but Rafa Benitez is optimistic.
Murphy has endured a difficult time since making a £10 million move from Norwich City in the summer, playing just four times in the Premier League and starting just once in that time.
The early signs perhaps hint that Benitez is not exactly sold on the 22-year-old, and quashing those theories will not be helped by the fact that it was clearly a frustrating window for the Magpies, so some may perhaps view Murphy as a back-up target rather than someone who featured high on Benitez’s list.
But the Spaniard is confident that Murphy will come good before long, and outlined the improvement that he is seeing in him on the training ground.
“He is getting better,” he said, as reported by the Chronicle.
“In every training session there is improvement from him and he is working hard trying to get better.
“I am really pleased with everything. I think he will be a good player for us during the season and also in the future. He is still a young player.”
With Murphy primarily a winger, he is always go through some frustrating spells as it will often be down to him to produce a magic pass or cross that will unlock defences, and Benitez may feel that if he is not ready, throwing him in on a regular basis in the Premier League may damage his confidence.
But the fact that Murphy is clearly impressing the boss should be an incredibly encouraging sign that the Magpies fans will soon get to see why Newcastle decided to pay an eight-figure fee to sign him.
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