Brighton and Hove Albion announced the departure of 28-year-old winger Jamie Murphy to  Scottish Premiership side Rangers, until the end of the season.

Murphy has been a bit-part player this season for Brighton, however, he did play an important role in the Seagulls' push for promotion from the Championship last season.

The arrival of Colombian winger José Izquierdo limited Murphy's game time for Brighton to just seven games before the January window, where he decided to make the move to his boyhood Glasgow club.

Hughton understands Murphy's desire to play

Brighton boss Chris Hughton spoke highly of Murphy's contributions to the club since joining from Sheffield United in 2015. Before joining the Blades, Murphy made his name in Scottish football at Motherwell.

Hughton said,"Jamie's a fantastic professional, a great lad, and has a desire to play, while we were in no hurry to see him leave, we do understand his desire to play for his boyhood team and one of the biggest clubs in Scotland."

Hughton further described Murphy's achievements and his performances for the Seagulls as "excellent". He praised Murphy's contribution in last season's promotion push and said that the winger had written himself into "club folklore".

The Brighton boss then went on to thank Jamie for his efforts at Brighton and wished him well for his time at Rangers until the end of the season.

The Ibrox side have the option of making it permanent at the end of the season, which they will most probably activate, seeing how well Izquierdo has settled into the team, it would be best for Murphy to depart for his boyhood club.

Murphy will now join his Rangers teammates in Florida as part of their training during the winter break.

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About the author
Ninad Barbadikar
Editor for the Brighton and Hove Albion Office. Contributor to VAVEL UK since July 2016.