Who is Alex Murphy? The ‘hugely talented’ Irishman who is set to sign for Newcastle United

Newcastle United are set to complete the signing of Galway United teenager Alex Murphy this summer - but just who is he?

NewcastleWorld takes a closer look at his career so far and what’s been said about him:

What’s the story?

As per reports in Ireland, the Magpies have seen off competition from Celtic, Brighton and Torino to clinch Murphy’s signature.

The deal isn’t done yet, but it’s looking very promising after Galway representatives held positive talks with those on Tyneside.

Newcastle must wait until Murphy turns 18-year-old in June before finalising a deal.

What position does he play?

Murphy is a ‘versatile’ defender, operating either as a central defender or left-back.

What’s his career path so far?

Murphy joined Galway, who compete in the League of Ireland’s second-tier, aged 14 from Corrib Celtic and has quickly progressed through the age groups.

He made his first-team debut against Athlone Town in June last year at the tender age of 16.

This season, Murphy has been a regular for John Caulfield’s side, missing just one of the opening eight league games.

In total, the defender has appeared 19 times for The Tribesmen.

Impressively, he’s also captained the Republic of Ireland at under-18s level and was a standby for the under-21s squad late last year.

What’s been said about him?

Galway academy coach Martin Devlin described Alex as an “elegant, ball-playing centre-back, who is comfortable bringing possession out of defence and finding his teammates in midfield with a pass.”

On signing his professional in August 2021, first-team boss Caulfield said: “He’s one of our own and we’re delighted to have him sign his first professional contract in what we hope will be a great career.

“We have high hopes for him and we can see his talent. The most important thing now for Alex is to work hard and continue his progress. It’s a great day for the club and our academy.”

Meanwhile, Corrib Celtic chairman Jack Barrett added: “Corrib Celtic were aware from an early stage that we had a huge talent on our hands.

“I often witnessed Alex’s determination and strive to make himself better.

“On a lot of occasions off-season I would visit our grounds with nobody around and next thing witness Alex arrive on a bike on his own, with two footballs, to spend the next three hours practicing free-kicks and all the other skills of the game.”

What squad will he link up with?

Murphy will link up with the United academy, either joining Peter Ramage’s under-18s squad or Elliott Dickman’s under-23s - likely to be the latter.

In the meantime, Murphy will continue playing for Galway, who are rivalling Cork City for promotion and league title.