Lee Bullen has offered an honest early assessment on Jacob Murphy’s progress at Sheffield Wednesday.
The Newcastle United winger joined the Owls on loan on deadline day and has played five times so far for his temporary employers.
His first league outing saw him score with his very first touch, as Wednesday beat Barnsley 2-0 at Hillsborough.
But the £12 million Newcastle recruit ended his last one 45 minutes prematurely, as the Owls lost 2-1 at Preston North End.
Speaking via Sheffield Wednesday’s official Facebook page on Friday, Bullen said of Murphy: “I think he’s sort of been very good and then a little bit quiet at times. I think he’ll admit that himself.
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“He held his hand up at Preston. But you can see from some of the flashes early on, I think it was the first minute, the other night against Rotherham. He skins the boy, puts it through his legs, gets up the line.
“And that’s what we need to see more of and that’s what we’re trying to encourage him to do. Get the ball to feet and get driving at defenders because there’s nothing worse for any full-back than when you’ve got a winger who’s willing to pick it up and drive at you.
“More often than not they want to get a touch, come inside and bounce one-twos off the strikers. They don’t want to get it faced up and go one-on-one like Kadeem (Harris, the Sheffield Wednesday winger) has been doing; like Jacob did earlier on.
“I think he’s quite enjoying himself, but I think he knows there’s more in the tank and we’re trying to encourage him to get that out of him.”
The Newcastle winger, Murphy. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Sheffield Wednesday are the second loan club of Murphy’s Newcastle career.
And with one year left on his Magpies contract after this one, the 24-year-old may need to make it count if he is to have a future at St James’ Park.
His Newcastle teammates Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar both enjoyed productive temporary spells at Sheffield Wednesday last season.
