Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy has played his way back into serious contention to be a regular in Eddie Howe's side after back-to-back impressive displays.
That leaves Howe with a major headache - albeit a welcome one - for the clash at Old Trafford with Allan Saint-Maximin fit again and eager to start. With Miguel Almiron back to his best too, Howe will have to upset one of his wide men again later this week.
Murphy signed for United in 2017 but nudged up to the 100-game mark for Newcastle in the 5-1 win over Brentford and is now eyeing the next milestone. Murphy's journey has been an interesting one after a £10million move from Norwich City under Rafa Benitez saw him struggle to make an impact early on.
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He was even loaned out to the likes of West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday and came close to the exit before Steve Bruce handed him a pre-season chance in 2020 and he grabbed it with both hands. For now, he's going nowhere after signing a long-term deal back in 2021 which takes him to 2027.
As Murphy enters his peak years the key for him to stay ahead of Saint-Maximin and Almiron will definitely boil down to final product. Something he showed on Saturday with a well-taken finish to put Newcastle 2-0 up and in control against the Bees.
Crucially for Murphy, he's a player that Eddie Howe believes in and behind the scenes he has challenged Murphy to unlock some of the talent Newcastle fans haven't always seen on a consistent basis. Murphy is in line to start against Man United based on the last two performances.
Howe's message to all his players has been simple. He told Chronicle Live: "Train well. If you don't play in games your window of opportunity is in training."
Murphy has heeded that advice and is now reaping the benefits. With no real reason to name anything but an unchanged team against Man United, as Howe did against Brentford after Fulham, Murphy could get another huge chance this weekend.
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