Interim manager Graeme Murty has said that he believes new signing Jamie Murphy will give Rangers a ‘different dimension’ in attack following his arrival from Brighton.
The deal for the 28 year old went through over the weekend, and he has joined us on a loan basis until the end of the season but Rangers have already agreed a fixed fee with Brighton to make the deal permanent at the end of the campaign.
Speaking to the Official Site with the player now on our squad list, the gaffer explained.
‘I think it`s great. He is one we identified really early for that left-flank slot. He brings a wealth of experience and he`s had glowing endorsements from not only coaching staff and managers, but also players that I`ve played with, that have played with him, in terms of the character that he is, and he was another one who was desperate to come.’
With Murphy being a boyhood Rangers fan Murty knows he’ll be aiming to hit the ground running.
‘He`s a Rangers fan and I think he brings recognisable attributes and he can go and contribute straight away, and that was really important. Hopefully he can come in and hit the ground running because if he does he`s a definite asset for us and we need to find a way to get the best out of him. I think bringing him in brings a different dimension to the team and I`m really excited about that.’
With Brighton manager Chris Hughton speaking about him in glowing terms and admitting they hadn’t originally planned to let him go, Murty went on to say.
‘Speaking to people who know him, they speak well of his level head and his inclusion within the group. He was a contributing factor to Brighton going up, but I think he`s a more mature guy now. He`s still exciting and he`s still got pace, he`s still got the ability to beat a man and deliver an end product in the final third, but he`s not a boy anymore. He`s now a man ready to shoulder a man`s burden in the team hopefully, and we`re really excited to get this more polished article and give him a stage that`s ready for him to shine on.’
Murty also felt that despite his age, he felt there was no reason why he couldn’t gain international recognition during his time at Ibrox.
‘I don`t see any reason why he can`t attract national interest at the full level because I`m sure that`s one of the reason he`s come back, to be in their mindset and hopefully help us push on. I think it speaks volumes about what we are going to do. He understands the journey that we are on currently and I think it`s exciting for him to get on almost at the start and understand the length we have to go but the vision that we have for it. That`s my job this week, to impart that vision, to say ‘right, this is where we want to be by the end of this year`.’
Having referenced the vision, he ended by explaining.
‘I`ve got a clear vision in my mind what we want to achieve this season, it`s my job to impart that and hopefully the rest of the squad are as excited as Jamie about achieving that. If we do that then we can push on together and make sure the rest of this season is a successful one.’
