Portsmouth ace lauded as Championship player of the season after former Oxford United, Cardiff City and Norwich City man’s storming campaign

And it’s been claimed Pompey would have been relegated without the winger’s phenomenal contribution to their campaign, after a storming maiden term at Fratton Park.

John Mousinho’s men bring the curtain down on a successful return to the second tier on Saturday against Hull, with their mission to remain in the division completed with two games to spare.

Murphy has been a standout performer, with his 21 goals contributions a remarkable return after his arrival on a free transfer from Oxford United.

And that effort has now been recognised, with EFL experts acknowledging the 30-year-old as the division’s standout performer.

Murphy was overlooked for the EFL’s Championship team of the season this week, but George Elek from the respected Not The Top 20 Podcast believes that was rough justice for the winger.

Explaining his decision, Elek believes the former Cardiff and Oxford man excelling at a team fighting for survival deserved recognition and felt Pompey’s fate would have been different without the classy operator.

He told Not The Top 20: ‘I've gone for Josh Murphy.

‘I understand why players for clubs who've been at the top of the table end up winning these awards.

‘But I kind of look for players whose individual quality has completely outshone other happenings at their club and has been the singular, most important reason for a club exceeding expectations.

‘I think that Portsmouth getting themselves to safety after such a horrendous start is one of the biggest, one of the most impressive performances of the season in the Championship.

‘Without Murphy and his 14 assists, his seven goals and his generally ridiculous delivery from the left hand side and consistent threat, I just don't think this happens.’

Elek developed his reasoning on going for Murphy as the Championship’s top performer, by highlighting how he’s been a player who’s delivered when it matters most for Pompey. He also highlighted the displays of Freddie Potts and Colby Bishop as being worth of recognition in the Blues’ success story.

Pompey’s Murphy ‘unplayable’ against Leeds United

Elek added: ‘Not only has got 14 assists and seven goals, but also it's the timing of those where he is absolutely the man for the big occasion.

‘If you look through Pompey's biggest results this season, a crucial moment, it's been Murphy who's been at the forefront of that.

‘Whether it was the assists in the 5-3 game against Norwich recently that pretty much sealed their safety.

‘Whether it was the goal in the wonder win against Blackburn at the end of March, which again was such an important win as they tried to move themselves away from the bottom three.

‘Whether it was his performance against Leeds in that famous win where he was just unbelievable and almost unplayable on the day, it feels to me like he is the one player that has set himself apart.

‘Obviously there have been other key players from the season, (Colby) Bishop being one of them, (Freddie) Potts being another, but he's the one player who has been, in my mind, one of the best players in the league all season playing for a side who have been fending off relegation and have done so successfully. I think if you take away Josh Murphy from Portsmouth, then their season is ultimately very different.’

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