Murphy on course to start afresh for Leeds United

LONG ROAD BACK: Leeds United's physio Harvey Sharman and Head Coach Uwe Rösler, run with Luke Murphy during training.
Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe — LONG ROAD BACK: Leeds United's physio Harvey Sharman and Head Coach Uwe Rösler, run with Luke Murphy during training. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

The schemer made his second appearance of the campaign from the substitutes’ bench as a second-half replacement in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Reading.

The absence of Lewis Cook through suspension has heightened Rosler’s need to include Murphy in his immediate plans, regardless of the £1m man not yet being at peak fitness after sustaining a knee injury in pre-season.

The former Crewe Alexandra player had been expected to miss the first few weeks of 2015-16 after undergoing minor surgery in July, but he made an earlier-than expected recovery and was handed his seasonal bow from the bench in Thursday’s Capital One Cup exit at Doncaster Rovers.

With United’s busy early-season fixture list ensuring that Rosler will not be afforded a clear week of training sessions with his squad until next week, Murphy could again be pressed into service at Bristol City on Wednesday.

A Yorkshire derby with Sheffield Wednesday follows on Saturday, with Rosler likely to utilise Murphy on a ‘needs-must’ basis with Cook unavailable until the trip to Derby County on August 29.

He said: “I think Luke is in a tricky situation.

“Because of the situation with the squad, I think the only way we get him fit now is not through specific training, but games and then we have to accept that at times Luke is not 100 per cent.

“But at 85 per cent, he can already help us. At 90 per cent, he can definitely help us.

“At 95 per cent, he is close to being very important. That is how we bring him on now.”

Rosler believes that £1.3m recruit Stuart Dallas is now up to speed at United and is confident he can find his goal-scoring touch in the coming games and weeks ahead.

The Northern Irishman had two of United’s better opportunities at Reading, where he got his first full 90 minutes under his belt since arriving and Rosler said: “He is ready now. I think he was comfortable through 90 minutes.

“He was a player who calmed us down in the second half and took the sting out of the game instead of rushing.

“He found a calm solution and had a good chance in the first half. He was good for us in every way, with and without the ball. The goals will come.”