Why Rangers should sell Jamie Murphy amidst interest

According to The Sun, Dundee United are interested in signing Rangers star Jamie Murphy in this summer transfer window.

The report suggests that the Scottish winger has fallen out of favour under Steven Gerrard since falling victim to a cruciate ligament injury in 2018. He is one of the players set to leave with Dundee United hoping to make an offer for Murphy.

Profile

Born in Scotland, Murphy spent time at the academies of Westwood Rovers, Drumchapel Thistle, and Clyde FC before joining Motherwell’s youth system. In 5 years with the club’s senior team, he made 212 appearances, scoring 49 goals before joining Sheffield United in January 2013.

He then joined Brighton in 2015 and helped the Seagulls get promoted to the top flight in his second season with the club. After making 83 appearances for the English outfit, he made the move to Rangers.

However, his time at Ibrox was unsuccessful due to injuries and he was sent on loan to Burton Albion for the second half of the 2019/20 campaign. Murphy managed to score 7 goals in 10 games for the League One side but his time at Ibrox seems to be coming to an end.

Murphy is surplus to the requirements of Rangers

At the moment, Steven Gerrard has five wingers at his disposal. Former Liverpool man Ryan Kent has been brilliant in the last two seasons and has established himself in the starting XI. Brandon Barker, who made just 6 appearances last season, has earned some game time in the new campaign.

Apart from them, the Gers also have Glenn Middleton and Jordan Jones, who are capable of being a backup for the main players. Thus, it would be a wise decision by the club to part ways with Murphy, who has managed just 29 games so far for the Scottish giants.

Moreover, the former Brighton man is already 30 and entering the final phase of his career. He has also had a history with injuries and would struggle to break into the starting XI, given the number of youngsters in the squad.

Keeping him would also just make them waste their resources on a player who would eventually end up on the bench. He seems to be getting back on track after his loan spell with Burton and staying put at Ibrox would hamper his progress as well.

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Verdict

At 30, Murphy needs to move elsewhere to revive his career before he steps down, and that would be impossible with the Gers. And he also seems surplus to their requirements. Thus, offloading the winger this summer would be a wise decision by the club.