View: Keeping ‘Outstanding’ 96% ace Murphy fit crucial to Portsmouth cementing Championship status
Portsmouth could see their hopes of establishing themselves as a Championship club be defined by whether Josh Murphy can stay fit all season.
Murphy was labelled the “outstanding player in pre-season” by boss John Mousinho [The News, 6 August] when asked how the winger was following a contact injury to his ankle against Charlton Athletic last weekend.
The 29-year-old produced heroics in his last competitive match as his Wembley brace secured Oxford United’s place in the second tier alongside Portsmouth, before reuniting with his former teammate Mousinho at Fratton Park on a free transfer.
His head coach conceded, however, that he was “touch and go” to face Leeds United in Saturday’s season opener, sparking the fears over his fitness which limited him to 21 starts last season.
Portsmouth season could hinge on Murphy fitness
Not only does Murphy provide significant Championship experience to Pompey’s ranks, his statistics when fit in League One last season showed exactly how he can make an impact.
The difficulty for Murphy has been a conveyor belt of injury issues here and there throughout his career, and Mousinho will be praying his man can gather a run of games across the season.
As a winger, Murphy has a superb ability to be unpredictable, having produced a solid number of both shots and crosses during his time in the Championship, and also recently with Oxford in the division below: his FBRef data shows that he averaged 3.16 shots per game last term, as well as 3.49 shots per game in his first regular season in the division with Norwich City.
FotMob also found Murphy to have attempted more efforts towards goal than 96% of any other wingers or attacking midfielders in League One last season, scoring 10% of his total shots and beating his xG by 1.65 goals in 2023-24.
Confident and composed on the ball out wide, Murphy’s possession stats read well. The new Blues recruit averaged 2.99 fouls won per 90 minutes last term, even winning a penalty once every six games.
This wide array of attacks in his arsenal make him a key player already, who has shown glimpses in pre-season of the magnitude of the impact he could end up having.
Murphy only started 31 league games across his two seasons at Oxford [Soccerway] and that reliability over his fitness can only build with time – we wait to see if he can make the squad for Elland Road.
In other Portsmouth news, find out where the Opta supercomputer predicts Pompey will finish in the league this season.
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