Murphy: Luke John (Luke)
2013-Current
(Leeds Player Details)
(Player Details)
Midfield
Born: Alsager, Cheshire: 21-10-1989
Debut: Brighton & Hove Albion: 03-08-2013
6'2" 11st 7lb (2013)
A product of the Crewe Alexandra Academy, he was only seven when he first joined the
club and was only fifteen when he broke into the Under-Eighteen team. After completing his
scholarship, he signed professional for them on 1st November 2008, making his League
debut on 13th December 2008, as an eighty-second minute substitute, in a 2-0 home win
over Swindon Town. After three games from the bench he made his run-on debut in a 4-1
win at Hartlepool United on 28th December 2008 and celebrated by scoring the third goal
in the sixty-first minute, with a powerful shot from twenty-five yards, to open his goal account.
He finished his first season with one League goal to his credit from three starts and six
games from the bench but made two starts in the F.A, Cup and managed one goal.It was
not a happy season for the club as they lost their League One status. A skilful player in
central midfield, with an eye for goal, he established himself as a regular in 2009-10,
scoring three times in the League from twenty-four starts and eight games from the bench.
He also made one start in the League Cup and had one game from the bench in the F.A.
Cup. He extended his contract in November 2010 and remained a regular and influencial
player in midfield. He fulfilled his promise as a goal scoring midfielder, netting eight times
in 2011-12 and he was in the team when the club gained promotion back to League One
with a 2-0 play-off Final win over Cheltenham Town at Wembley on 27th May 2012. He was
appointed Club Captain in August 2012 and after signing a new two year contract in
September 2012, led them to the Football League Trophy, when they lifted the Johnstone's
Paint Trophy at Wembley with a 2-0 win over Southend United on 7th April 2013, in which
he opened the scoring in the sixth minute. He was named the Crewe Alexandra "Player of
the Year" for the 2012-13 season and was also named in the PFA League One Team of
the year. While with the Railwaymen, he scored twenty-one League goals in one hudred
and forty starts and twenty-one games from the bench, two goals in six starts and one
game from the bench in the F.A. Cup, no goals in five starts and one game as a substitute
in the League Cup, two goals in ten starts in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and two starts
in the League Two play-off finals. After being linked with Aston Villa, Wolverhampton
Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers, on 1st July 2013 Crewe Alexandra accepted a more
than £1 million offer for Murphy, who signed a three year contract with Leeds United. After
playing the pre-season games with Leeds, he made his debut against Brighton & Hove
Albion, at Elland Road, in the first game of the season on 3rd August 2013. He delighted
the Leeds fans by scoring a match-winning second goal in injury-time to give Leeds
a fine 2-1 win. He went on to score three goals in thirty-seven starts in the League and
two games from the bench together with one start in the F.A. Cup and two games from
the bench in the League Cup in his first season. Given the number seven shirt at the start
of his second season he seemed to lose his way after being sent off in the thirty-first
minute of the League Cup tie on 27th August 2014 at Valley Parade against Bradford City,
leaving his team to play the final hour with only ten men, which saw them beaten 1-2 and
resulting in Coach David Hockaday losing his job the next day. As Neil Redfearn tried to
resurrect the team's fortunes he found himself out of the squad as the coach gave his
young players a chance to prove their worth. It was not until the New Year that he was
recalled for the Third Round Cup tie at Sunderland and he cemented his spot in the
team, being ever-present for the rest of the season, scoring three goals in twenty-six
starts and four from the bench in the League and adding one start in each of the F.A.
Cup and the League Cup. Unfortunately he picked up a knee injury in pre-season
training and a minor operation kept him out of several weeks of the new season. On
14th July 2015, he showed his commitment to the club by signing, at a reduced salary,
an extended new contract for four years which would keep him at Elland Road until the
end of the 2018-19 season. On 31st July 2015, Murphy was given the number 8 jersey.
He missed all the pre-season games and the first game of the season against Burnley
on 8th August 2015. After that he was on the bench for six games, five of which he
entered as a substitute as he was eased back into the side. He had several spells on
the bench but managed to start Twenty-five League games and have eleven substitute
appearances in that competition. He managed just one goal, United's only goal in the
1-2 defeat at Rotherham United on 2nd April 2016. In 2016-17 he was even more
marginalised starting only the League Cup tie at Luton Town on 23rd August 2016 and
by 24th September, he had fallen so far out of favour that he, along with Toumani
Diagouraga and Ross Turnbull, was no longer listed in the Leeds United match
programme as a member of the squad, and all three were training with the Under-
Twenty-Three team. On 6th January 2017, he was allowed to move to Burton Albion on
loan for the rest of the season. He made his debut for Burton the following day in the 0-2
loss to Watford at Vicarage Road when he replaced Matthew Palmer with three minutes
left on the clock. He made his League, and starting debut, in a 0-2 home defeat by Wigan
Athletic on 14th January 2017 but was replaced by Terry Naylor after eighty-four minutes.
A fortnight later he scored his first goal when he opened the scoring in the eleventh minute
of a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. He settled in well at the Perelli
Stadium and with Jackson Irvine he formed a vital partnership in midfield, which was a
major help in the club's avoiding relegation, which they did by finishing in twentieth position.
He returned to Elland Road on 9th May 2017 having scored once in eighteen starts and one
game from the bench in the League, and one game as a substitute in the F.A. Cup in the
2016-17 season. On 3rd July 2017 he was loaned once more to Burton Albion for the 2017
-18 season.