Newcastle United confirm departure of former West Ham man via short statement

Newcastle United have confirmed a behind-the-scenes departure. Danny Murphy, who replaced the long-serving Derek Wright as Head Physiotherapist last year, has left his position.

Murphy spent 15 months on Tyneside but departs after an extended period of paternity leave. He previously worked at Charlton Athletic, England under-21s West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

A statement read: "Newcastle United can announce that Head Physiotherapist, Danny Murphy, has left the club after an extended period of paternity leave.

"The club would like to thank Danny for his hard work, professionalism and development of the service during his 15 months with the first team, during which he has made a significant contribution to the club's success.

"We wish him and his family well for the future."

Murphy's exit coincides with Newcastle's worst injury crisis for years having struggled to cope with the relentless fixture schedule.

Since September, Eddie Howe's side - who have competed in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup - have mostly played three games a week which has resulted in the absentee list reaching double figures.

“I don't think it takes much of an internal investigation," said Howe when asked about injuries last month. "The problem we've had is because we've had injuries to start with.

"The early ones we picked up, it meant our squad has just not managed the games. It's been impossible to, we've had to pick the same players continually and eventually those players with the load that they're playing under will break, so I think we've just been a victim of circumstance.

"Don't get me wrong, there have been mistakes made and there will always be mistakes made medically because it's that kind of profession. You're not going to get every assessment right.

"A lot of the time, you're in the hands of the specialist. But the weight of games we've had – and it's still unrelenting for us – we just haven't recovered properly."

While Newcastle's injury list has eased in recent weeks, Howe is set to remain without nine senior players for this evening's trip to Liverpool.