Newcastle United’s Jacob Murphy still has “plenty of room for improvement” says Rafael Benitez.
Rafael Benitez has told The Chronicle that he wants more from Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy.
Murphy, a £12 million summer signing from Norwich City in the Championship, had his best game for Newcastle on Saturday and scored in the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City.
The 22-year-old raced clear of the Citizens’ defence and showed a very cool head to clip the ball over Ederson and halve the deficit for the Magpies, though Sergio Aguero went on to complete his hat-trick and with it take the post-match plaudits.
But from a Newcastle perspective, it was a hugely encouraging performance overall, and especially from Murphy who hasn’t always looked like being worth his transfer fee so far.
Benitez hasn’t signed anybody in this transfer window, but claims that the addition of some new players would help Murphy flourish because, in his words, the youngster still “has plenty of room for improvement”.
Benitez told The Chronicle: “He is a young player, and he has to learn. I would say coming from the Championship to the Premier League, to play at this level against the likes of Manchester City, it is a very long way. He still has plenty of room for improvement.
“He is the type of player that some new signings would really help. He is a young player with talent, and when a player like that has experienced players around them, they will go and become better players.”
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