Jacob Murphy justified his selection last week after Eddie Howe decided he should start for Newcastle against Wolves.
Miguel Almiron was dropped to the bench in favour of Murphy, who performed very well on the right of attack for Newcastle.
He was a shock inclusion, but proved Howe right with his performance. The 28-year-old has been impressive off the bench in recent weeks, and backed it up with strong outing from the start.
The winger surprised a lot of Newcastle fans with how well he did, but it was no shock to Howe, who thought Murphy was ‘excellent’.
The Newcastle manager is a huge fan of Murphy, and has now praised the £12million man for how he conducts himself in training.
Eddie Howe believes Jacob Murphy has been ‘brilliant behind the scenes’
Ahead of the game against Nottingham Forest, Howe has addressed the media. He was asked about Murphy’s inclusion against Wolves.
“He’s been brilliant behind the scenes,” Howe said.
“A real positive energy every day in training and he hones his skills meticulously. He’s a player that wants to invest time in trying to find ways to elevate his game.
“I thought he was excellent last week.”
Murphy has given Howe a selection headache
Howe has a big decision to make ahead of Friday night against Nottingham Forest. Murphy played well enough versus Wolves to retain his place in the side, but Miguel Almiron came off the bench to score the winner.
We have included Almiron over Murphy in our predicted XI, but it would not be a surprise if Howe persists with the former Norwich City man.
Regardless, it is excellent to hear how well Murphy is performing in training. He deserves a huge amount of praise for turning his Newcastle career around when Steve Bruce was manager, and he has now kicked on even further. It is even more impressive given the rising standards at St James’ Park.
But Murphy has forged a role for himself in this Newcastle team, and Howe is a big fan of his efforts. He is applying himself well on the training ground, and it could result in him starting once again on Friday night.