Collins Aware of Murphy Ambition

Hibs manager John Collins has insisted he is perfectly aware of left back David Murphy’s ambition to play in the English Premiership but insits it’s not detrimental to either team or player performances.

The 23 year old Englishman was interviewed by Setanta in the build up to last weeks Derby and said ‘You come to a time in your career as a player that you feel you need to move on to further your career and I am no different.

‘I want to play at the highest level I possibly can.’

JC though today admitted ‘The lad comes from England and has always said that he would like to go back there eventually.

‘He is an ambitious boy and wants to play at the highest level possible and I can understand that.

‘We would love to give him everything that he wants but it’s just not possible because we are not in the English Premiership and that’s where he wants to be playing his football at some time in the future.

‘We have got to be realistic about the situation. I could sit here and say that David Murphy is going nowhere but we all know that is not the case.

‘He will move on eventually, but it won’t be in January.’

The Hibs boss has previously labelled Murphy as ‘Mr Consistency’ following his winner at Ibrox at the beginning of last month and was more effusive with his praise today. ‘He is a quality footballer and I am sure that there will come a time when we receive an offer that we can’t refuse for him,’ he said.

‘Obviously from the club’s point of view, David is under contract and he is a quality football player so it would have to be an offer we couldn’t refuse to take him away from Easter Road.

‘But at the end of the day I am a football manager and I would rather have a player like David in my side than the money.’