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2016/17 season set to prove decisive for the future of the Murphy twins

2016/17 season set to prove decisive for the future of the Murphy twins

It has been far too long since Norwich City last developed a player all the way through their youth system into a regular first-teamer at the club. The last was Chris Martin, who played a crucial role in our League One winning season in 2009/10 and who has gone on to forge a successful career for himself as one of Derby County’s top goalscorers and representing Scotland at international level. However, when you think of Southampton, who in a similar time-period have produced the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Ward-Prowse, our academy’s production line has been relatively fruitless - despite our top-level Category One status.

That is not to say, however, that there aren’t exciting prospects waiting in the pipeline; the class of 2013, winners of the FA Youth Cup, are coming to the age where, if they are ever going to, they should be ready to break-though into the first team. There continue to be two that City fans have been resting their hopes on more than any other: twins Josh and Jacob Murphy. Having both joined the youth set-up in 2006, the pair have risen all the way through the ranks and are now, on the back of numerous loan-spells, ready to make a fully-fledged attempt at becoming a Norwich City regular.

Perhaps the more likely to be given the opportunity to make a real impact this season is Josh. Having made a few appearances during our promotion campaign of 2014/15, in which he showed promise but was ultimately deemed second fiddle to Nathan Redmond, Josh will probably never have a better chance to impress. Redmond has departed, whilst Josh has a full year’s worth of Championship experience behind him having played, and hugely impressed, on loan at MK Dons last season. Despite the Don’s relegation, the 21-year-old scored 7 goals and recorded 8 assists. His statistics last season are actually very similar to that of new signing Sergi Canos, perhaps made more impressive than the Spaniard’s due to the fact that he achieved this return in a far lesser side. Canos is being heralded as a good signing and fans and manager alike seem to be expecting him to be in the first-team picture this season - so, if Canos is good enough, then why not Josh Murphy? The latters’ impressive season at MK also resulted in him winning the club’s Players Player of the Season award, an achievement that will surely have been noted by Neil.

Josh’s brother Jacob also spent the last season on loan and, despite a mid-season dip in form, similarly impressed. Albeit in a lower division, playing for League One side Coventry, Jacob’s return for the season actually surpassed that of his brother. Jacob scored 10 and assisted 10 in a fruitful campaign in front of goal, which included a 10-minute hat-trick against Gillingham - an achievement that put him in the history books at the club, it being the fastest by a Coventry player in over 70 years. Unlike his brother, however, Jacob is hugely lacking in Championship experience. Having never made a league appearance for Norwich, Jacob has made just 9 appearances in the second tier: at Blackpool in 2014. He did actually impress during this short stint, scoring twice and winning a Player of the Month award, but it is likely to be this lack of experience that will put him behind his brother in Alex Neil’s pecking order during the coming season. This being said, however, Redmond has departed, Robbie Brady is expected to follow and Matt Jarvis has been sidelined with a long-term injury - this opens up vacancies on both wings that could give room for both of the Murphy brothers, along with Canos, to be given significant opportunities.

It is hard not to feel that this coming season is make or break for the future of the pair at City. There is only so long that they can be continue to be loaned out - Josh has been out twice and Jacob six times - before the club will have to make the decision that they are a project no longer worth persisting with. If they fail to impress next year, in the Championship, then it will be difficult to see a future for them at the club; despite our relegation, the long-term target for the club is still to be an established Premier League club, and if Josh or Jacob cannot perform at the level lower then retaining them at the club will surely be deemed a pointless exercise.

Jacob and Josh: now is the chance you have both been waiting for, don’t let us down.