Jacob Murphy gives special shoutout to former Newcastle United player as he discusses role in leadership group
Jacob Murphy faced the gathered press today as part of the Champions League media duties for Newcastle United ahead of tomorrow's home tie against Qarabag.
We recently wrote about the rollercoaster ride Jacob Murphy has endured since his arrival at the club, but one thing we failed to mention in that piece is just how integral Murphy is to the dressing room these days.
Murphy is part of the leadership group these days, which makes sense given that he's now the longest-serving player at the club and was a boyhood Newcastle fan, so he knows just what the club means to the supporters.
In Baku last week, Jacob Murphy finally got his first Champions League goal to add to his career highlights package.
Jacob Murphy gave a mention to Matt Ritchie in today's Champions League media briefing
Speaking to the media today, Murphy was asked about his role as one of the club's leadership group, and he gave a special mention to a former player whom he reached out to when he was given the role.
"I've had some really good mentors over the nine years I've been here. Matt Ritchie was one, he was amazing to me. He was one of the first people I reached out to when I got elected into the leadership group."
Matt Ritchie was a true leader at Newcastle. He may not have been the most gifted player on the pitch, particularly towards the end of his time at the club, but his influence could be felt whenever he was on the pitch. It's also not the first time Murphy has brought up Ritchie as a mentor, saying a while ago that it was Ritchie who helped him hone his crossing skills.
Jacob Murphy has some strong leadership mentors at Newcastle
We always said that Ritchie is one of the players we'd welcome back to the club as a coach, as he just seemed to get it. He is a mini Eddie Howe in so many ways, but he has a bit more of a visible mean streak in him.
Murphy couldn't have picked a much better mentor. We're sure Murphy also gets plenty of advice from Kieran Trippier, too, so between that pair, he won't be steered wrong.
Could we see Jacob Murphy as a coach in the future? Personally, I hope he goes into media work as he's definitely got the personality for it.
