Newcastle United ace reveals transfer ‘ultimatum’ ahead of St James’ Park exit

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Alex Murphy has revealed what he was told before he joined Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season.

Murphy’s first few days at Bolton were turbulent ones with Ian Evatt sacked just two days after his loan to the Toughsheet Community Stadium. The 20-year-old didn’t feature in Evatt’s final game in charge - one Wanderers would lose 2-1 at home to Charlton Athletic.

He was also an unused substitute for Bolton’s win over Huddersfield Town last weekend, before a 30-minute appearance off the bench in midweek against Northampton Town marked his debut for the Trotters. He made his first start for his new side on Saturday, but couldn’t help them overcome Reading as Bolton slipped to a 1-0 defeat on home turf.

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Whilst Murphy did experience senior football during his time at Galway United before his move to Tyneside, his current stint at Bolton will be his first prolonged exposure to first-team football in England. Speaking about moving to the Lancashire club, Murphy revealed what he had been told by his parent club before leaving for Bolton: “When I left they told me you have to go to Bolton and be the best player on the pitch every time,” Murphy said. “If I want to play in the Premier League, I have to show that I’m able to play at this level.

“I've been in and around it for about a year and a half now. I've been on the bench loads of times, but obviously, I've only made the two appearances, which is kind of low for how many times I've been on the bench.

“I'm just trying to push every day and obviously training with players at Newcastle and players here is obviously going to help me for my experience.

“Obviously, the aim is to go back there and play as much as I can. That's my ultimate goal. But I think this is a massive step for me and it's a massive learning curve.

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“I have joined a really great squad, there is a lot of quality in it. So, I know it won’t be a case of just stepping into the team straight away, and that adds to the appeal. I didn’t want to go somewhere where it was all handed to me.

“I want to push my way into the team and show that I have quality, and I should be starting here. There is pressure but that’s a good thing for me.”

Murphy isn’t the only Newcastle United player that has left the club on a development loan this month. Travis Hernes moved to Danish side Aalborg for the remainder of the campaign whilst Charlie McArthur joined League Two side Carlisle United.

McArthur has linked up with former Magpies defender Mike Williamson in Cumbria and whilst he enjoyed a solid debut during their win over Fleetwood Town, McArthur then played 90 minutes on Saturday during their 5-1 hammering at home to Swindon Town - a match that saw the Cumbrians ship four goals in the second half.

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