Saturday proved a rather perfect day for Newcastle United.
Eddie Howe’s side blew off the cobwebs following the international break by thrashing Crystal Palace at St James’ Park as Newcastle prepared for the visit of Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
They were again amongst the goals even despite Howe making changes, presumably with the Champions League in mind.
One of those was Jacob Murphy.
Hailed by Howe as one of his most reliable players, the 28-year-old was making his first start of the Premier League season and managed to score a goal and record two assists.
Such was the level of his impact, a teammate had particular praise.
Newcastle vs Crystal Palace: Anthony Gordon picks out his Man of the Match
Not long after Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson had praised Murphy and Kieran Trippier down the right hand side, Anthony Gordon was equally as effusive.
After Murphy had taken to Instagram to celebrate the win and his performance, Gordon responded with: “MOTM” alongside a few love heart emojis.
Jacob Murphy: Another hidden gem for Newcastle
The likes of Joelinton, Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar perhaps take the headlines when it comes to assessing the players Howe has transformed the fortunes of since his arrival.
Still, though Murphy is not as regularly involved as those, he does deserve to be mentioned alongside them.
Farmed out on loan twice during his Newcastle career, Howe has done a fantastic job in getting Murphy to perform as a reliable squad member.
Indeed, while on loan at the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and West Brom, the idea of him starting for Newcastle against AC Milan in the Champions League would have surely seemed a world away.
Thanks to his hard work and the coaching job done by Howe, it became a reality.
That, really, is the stuff of dreams.
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