Newcastle handed several fringe players a chance to impress in their FA Cup third-round replay with Blackburn on Tuesday night, including Jacob Murphy.
Alongside youth team prospects such as Sean Longstaff and Freddie Woodman, Rafa Benitez called upon squad members to take their chance. While Javier Manquillo and Joselu once again failed to win plaudits, one player who received mixed reviews was Murphy.
Final ball the issue for Murphy
The 23-year-old has struggled to cement a place in the Magpies’ starting XI since joining in 2017. Unfortunately for the former Norwich man, he perhaps failed to make the most of his big opportunity against Rovers. Although his direct approach is something that Newcastle have desperately lacked, his final ball was often abysmal.
He showed that he can make an impact by setting up Cal Roberts’s goal. However, the Toon Army were left frustrated time and time again as his crosses drifted haplessly behind.
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The stage was set for Murphy to step up. With Kenedy out due to injury, this was a big chance for Newcastle’s number seven to move up the pecking order.
However, it seems unlikely that Murphy did enough in the eyes of Benitez.
If there’s one thing the Spaniard looks for, it’s consistency. Despite creating the most chances in the game, it may be his erratic crossing that proves his downfall.
Christian Atsu was Newcastle’s fourth substitution, coming on in extra time, and it’d be surprising if Murphy proved to his manager that he deserves to overtake the Ghanaian for Saturday’s mammoth clash with Cardiff.
