Rhys Murphy close to rediscovering his best form

Arsenal striker Rhys Murphy is very close to rediscovering the form which saw him score 17 goals in just 21 games for the under-18s two seasons ago. The Shoreham-by-Sea youngster missed a significant chunk of the last campaign because of a hernia problem, but now he is back and raring to go.

After failing to score in the first two under-18 games of the season, Rhys put any lingering critics to bed with a goal against Bristol City on Saturday before hitting a brace for England u-19s against the Netherlands last night.

It’s clear that he is an exceptional talent. His workrate is phenomenal, he can hold the ball up well and can bring his team-mates into the game too. But the main aspect of his game is goals and it is in the box where he is most deadly.

Yesterday, after being played through by Kieran Trippier, Rhys found himself in a difficult situation with defenders surrounding him, but he showed good strength and composure to score from a narrow angle. His second goal was scored with his head, proving that he can finish in a variety of ways.

The next step up is the Reserves. He made his debut for Neil Banfield’s side whilst he was still a schoolboy and bagged three goals at that level last term, making six appearances in total, only two of which were starts. Jay Simpson and Rui Fonte are the front pairing at the moment, but come January that could all change. Either of those two could go out on loan or get injured and then a chance will open up and you can bet your bottom dollar that Murphy will take it with both hands.

It has been a frustrating time for Rhys, but now he is very close to reaching the dizzy heights of two seasons ago. Other challenges lie ahead, but for now he is fully focussed on scoring goals at whichever level he plays. Watch out Coventry City.