Hughton bats away talk of Murray for England

Brighton boss Chris Hughton batted away questions about striker Glenn Murray getting an England call-up yesterday - but stressed the in-form frontman has been excellent for the Seagulls.
Glenn Murray celebrates scoring against Arsenal on Sunday. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)Glenn Murray celebrates scoring against Arsenal on Sunday. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)
Glenn Murray celebrates scoring against Arsenal on Sunday. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

Murray has scored six goals in his last six games and 13 in total this season, with 11 of those coming in the Premier League.

There has been talk this week about Murray being named in England boss Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming friendlies with Italy and Holland.

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However, Hughton said: "It's probably not my position to talk about the merits of an England cap or playing for England.

"What I can do is talk about he has given us.

"Glenn has always had a know-how on how to score goals. But in a very competitive division, on a lot of occasions chances are going to be hard to come by for teams like us.

"What you need is a work ethic and somebody that can lead the line.

"If I speak about his form, more important for us is the hard work he's putting in for the team, his running ability in the team, his competitiveness in the team and that then allows him to get goals.

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"For us, he has been excellent. We have real good competition and the moment and for anybody who plays in those positions at the moment, they will have had to have warranted it and he certainly has.

"On any international recognition, that's down to other people and what they see.

"I can only talk about what he's done for us and he's been excellent playing in the top division - a division he has always wanted to play in.

"His performances for us have been excellent at this level and we're very grateful for what he's given us."

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