PLAYER PROFILE

David Murphy

Position: Defence

Height: 6'1

Weight: 12st 3lbs

Date of Birth: 1984-06-01 Hartlepool, England

David Murphy

David Murphy is a young left-back who emerged on the Middlesbrough first team scene with a bang in the 2001-02 season. He showed no sign of nerves as he scored and set up another goal in a 3-1 Worthington Cup win over Northampton Town on his debut.

The youngster was back in the team for the next round of the competition, at Blackburn Rovers, and again produced an impressive and combative display as Boro went down 2-1 in extra-time.

For the remainder of the season, the England youth international's outings were from the substitutes' bench, often on the left side of midfield. But it is at left-back that Boro's youth coaches expected him to make a major impact in the future.

He got another chance to impress in the opening game of the 2002/03 season, as Franck Queudrue was suspended for two matches. However, luck was not on Murphy's side. After 15 minutes, he had to be replaced, after suffering ligament damage which threatened to keep him out for up to six weeks.

He returned in January 2003, playing seven more times by the end of the season. However, in May 2004 he was released by Middlesbrough, having made little impression on the first team in 2003/04.

He joined Hibernian in Scotland and became an important part of their first team over the next few years, leading to renewed interest from Premier League clubs. In January 2008 he joined Birmingham City to get another shot at the English top flight.

Despite showing signs of his ability during the final months of the 2008/09 season he could not stop his side's relegation to the Championship.

He stayed on to try and win promotion with the Blues the following season and cemented his place as the club's first choice left-back in the early months of the campaign.

However injuries meant that he missed 16 league games and he will need to prove his fitness in his first full Premier League season at St Andrews if he is to establish himself in English football.