The Oxford United player who could be like a new signing next season: Opinion | OneFootball

Oxford United will review and reflect upon the 2022/2023 campaign with a pang of regret and frustration, and internal questions will be posed as to just why they have regressed so much in such a short space of time.

In the three seasons prior, they had finished third, sixth and eighth respectively. In the season just gone, they finished 19th, merely two points above the relegation zone.

It is all the more surprising that this deterioration came following what appeared a positive backdrop, with the club securing numerous big-name arrivals. For one of those big-name arrivals, his own drop-off mirrors that of his club, but, if Oxford can find a strategy to optimise his doubtless talent, he could well be like a new signing capable of spearheading more positive fortunes next term and beyond.

Who is this secret player, and where has it gone wrong?

Many supporters were bound with surprise when the news broke that Oxford had sealed the services of Josh Murphy, none more than their very own.

After all, this was a player who, just two years ago at the time, had been in the Premier League. He had not just 'been' there, either, he had, albeit in fits and starts, impressed for Cardiff as they came agonisingly close to defying the odds and surviving relegation.

Particularly, during the opening stages of that campaign, his flame had burned brightly in a team struggling to acclimatise to the unforgiving rigors of top-flight football as he announced himself with standout displays against the likes of Newcastle, Burnley, Fulham and Southampton.

It did not last, though.

Ironically, as Cardiff began to almost find their feet and play as though they belonged at that level, Murphy faltered, and he swiftly fell out of favour with then-boss Neil Warnock. Indeed, that set the tone, not just for that season, not just for his time in south Wales, but for his opening season at Oxford, too.

He remained in Cardiff's squad for two seasons following relegation during two unsuccessful pursuits of promotion back to the promised land, and while a subsequent return of 19 goals and assists across all competitions between a spell yielding just 34 starts was far from a deplorable outlay, he never really settled again.

Not once after dropping out of the Premier League did Murphy ever reestablish as one of the first names on the team sheet- which, given the lengths that Warnock went to in order to sign the winger for a significant multi-million pound fee, was not an ideal situation for all involved.

That topic sparks a strong division of opinion, as some supporters feel as though Murphy was never given a run of games to show his worth once again, whereas the critics- and there are a big amount of those-believe that he never matched the hype, nor Cardiff's valuation of him back in 2018, and that there were valid reasons behind Neil Harris and Mick McCarthy both seldom having Murphy as a big part of their plans.

When Cardiff were relegated from the top tier of English football, Bluebirds fans excitedly idealised the prospect, or, to speak more accurately upon that, the virtual certainty that Murphy (alongside Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Kenneth Zohore and Bobby Decordova-Reid) would play a starring role back in the Championship.

Just over two years on from that wide-held notion, though, and he joined Preston North End on a season-long loan, having failed to enforce as a regular in a side that would go on to famously lose eight matches in a row and battle relegation.

Murphy's contract was set to expire following the conclusion of his spell up in Lancashire, so although it was apparent by then that his days as a Cardiff player were numbered, there was still a good opportunity for the winger to put himself in the shop window.

He did not start a single match at Deepdale.

There were two known reasons why Murphy did not get going for Ryan Lowe's side, and the one answer probably lies somewhere inbetween.

A calf injury had ruled him out for four months of the season, though his loan spell was cut short due to attitude and punctuality issues, with Lowe telling LancsLive at the time: "The two of them (Josh Murphy and Izzy Brown) had great opportunities to showcase what they could do for me and Preston North End.

"My standards are very high and unfortunately both of them didn't meet the standards, and that's all I've got to say about it."

Whether the latter mitigating problem impacted his first season at the Kassam Stadium is up for debate, though many critical fans earlier on in the campaign definitely believe so. It would go some way to justifying the dulled promise and potential of a player with that degree of ability, that much pedigree, and of course, that eight-figure price tag still hanging over his head some five years on.

Why could Josh Murphy have an important role at Oxford next season?

As if the season just gone was not already, next year truly beckons upon the 'last chance salloon' territory for Murphy, who, now aged 28, will not be afforded the time, persistence and lenience that he may have been licensed with in his younger years.

Simply put, his situation over the next twelve months will likely dictate the rest of his playing days. His contract is up then, is not getting any younger either, and it will shape whether he will rescue his career or stay dormant at a level that, on paper, does not echo his footballing ability.

Admittedly, thus far, Oxford should have got much more from him. But there is still time, and while not sustained, a small handful of positive cameos at the back-end of the season, including two assists from the bench in a 4-0 victory over Cheltenham, provoked the feeling that U's supporters may just begin to see the true reflection of the player that arrived with an equal distribution of question marks and frenzied fanfare.

Indeed, that prompted supporters to ask themselves where he had been all season, meanwhile neutral supporters ask themselves what happened to Josh Murphy in the first place upon hearing where he is now. The second question speaks volumes.

As easy as it may be to forget, he is a player who has exhibited bags of talent not only in the Championship for Norwich, MK Dons and Cardiff, but also in the Premier League against world-class opposition.

In addition, he is a player who evidently needs an arm around the shoulder, and that will need to be considered if he is to rekindle his career at a crucial time, but, at 28, ability does not just disappear.

Whether he can finally make good of that ability again is another question, to which the answer to will remain unknown until August and beyond.