The future seemed so bright for former Rangers winger Jamie Murphy, after he became Motherwell's top scorer in European competitions in 2010, a record which still stands to this day, but his injury-riddled career has quickly fallen by the wayside.

What was the word?

Speaking to the Totally Football League Show, as quoted by The Daily Record, Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough singled out the one-time loanee for praise after he scored against Oxford United last season.

"He’s been brilliant,” he said. “When we heard that we might have a small chance of bringing him in, we just did everything we could to get him down here. I think he’s got three in five now or something.

“He’s a game-changing player. We’re extremely lucky to have him in our squad in League One because he’s at least a Championship player and he’s proved that."

The 31-year-old scored seven goals and supplied two assists in ten games for Clough's side in a loan spell during the second half of last season.

However, it's fair to say that Murphy is now a shadow of his former self, as he has been plagued by persistent injury problems over the course of his playing career so far. So, it's perhaps hardly surprising Rangers sold the forgotten man in the summer, as Ross Wilson sought to clear out some of the deadwood in the summer.

Wilson masterclass

Hibernian FC signed the former Scotland international on an initial loan deal which will become permanent at the end of this season, with Murphy signing a one-year extension as well. It could be argued that it was a stroke of genius from Wilson to get him off the wage bill, as he reportedly received wages worth £16,000-per-week during his ill-fated time at Ibrox.

He scored six times and supplied 13 assists in all competitions for his former club, although his appearances were limited to just 29 games in two and a half years due to injury.

There's no denying the fact that Murphy was once a talented player, but sadly he has been hampered by injuries, and was unable to make much of an impression under Steven Gerrard, who is hardly short of wide options, as he can call upon the services of Ryan Kent, Brandon Barker, Ianis Hagi, Joe Aribo and Scott Arfield as well. And that's without even mentioning Jordan Jones, who finds himself in a spot of bother after breaking the pandemic protocols.

In actual fact, his luck has gone from bad to worse, as he has been forced to spend a spell on the sidelines so far this season with a recurring hamstring injury.

By contrast, Kent has become the club's first-choice left winger, having made nearly a hundred appearances for the Gers since he first arrived at Ibrox on loan from Premier League giants Liverpool in 2018.

In 14 appearances in the Premiership this season, the 23-year-old has bagged four times and four assists so far, which is an impressive return. Getting rid of the aging injury-plagued veteran has arguably given him the time to shine.

AND in other news, Rangers receive huge injury boost as Leon Balogun survives unscathed against Sierra Leone...