Sheffield Wednesday role clear as Newcastle United-owned former Owls favourite Jacob Murphy 'makes' big call on his future

The winger, whose form in the second half of the Owls’ 2019/20 season earned him huge plaudits, instead made clear his intention to head back to parent club Newcastle United and prove his worth in the Premier League.

Having enjoyed his loan spell at Hillsborough, Wednesday were keen on bringing him back and for a time faced competition from then-Championship rivals Nottingham Forest, but boyhood Toon fan Murphy set his stall out to impress Steve Bruce on Tyneside with only one year left on his contract.

And that he did, putting in a man of the match early season display in an EFL Cup win over Morecambe that prompted Bruce to pour cold water on any notion of his being allowed out on loan.

Having clawed his way into first team contention on the back of the confidence grown during his time at Wednesday, he finished Newcastle’s season strongly, starting each of their final nine matches as they rallied to five wins in their last eight and a 12th-placed finish.

Wednesday of course, on the other hand, had a nightmare season and were relegated to League One as the Championship’s bottom side.

Now the Daily Mail report that Murphy, 26, is on the brink of signing a new deal to stay on at St James Park.

He played some of his best football for the Magpies at right wing-back, a position he experienced while playing for the Owls, and was hugely outspoken for the time taken with him by then manager Garry Monk in restring the confidence he lost after his £10m move to Newcastle by Norwich.

“From him being here it has given me more of a hunger and fire in the belly,” Murphy said on Monk last summer. “I think the gaffer has helped me get to where I needed to be with my own self-belief and stuff.

“We have had few chats and he has been a massive help to get me to this level, so I can show it on the pitch.”

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