Despite being one of the bigger clubs in English football, no-one is safe from Premier League relegation as Newcastle United have found out multiple times over the years.

The Magpies first suffered that fate in 2009 but bounced straight back to the top flight under Chris Hughton, before once again finding themselves in the Championship during the 2016-17 season.

Rafael Benitez remained as manager of the club and after a few early season hiccups they stormed to promotion, pipping Brighton & Hove Albion to the title by a point.

Newcastle spent over £50 million on new players that season with one of them being Irish striker Daryl Murphy, who had bagged 50 league goals in 127 appearances for Ipswich Town in the previous three seasons.

Despite Murphy being 33 years old at the time though, the Magpies had no hesitation in paying an initial £3 million fee for him though.

He missed the first three months of the season through injury for Newcastle but he made an impact when he was available for selection in January, even though he rarely completed 90 minutes of football.

In 15 Championship appearances, Murphy scored five goals and assisted the club back to the top flight, but there was no place for him in the Premier League as he moved on to Nottingham Forest.

Murphy spent two years at the City Ground before spending a year at Bolton Wanderers, but what's he up to now?

A return to Ireland came about following his departure from the Trotters as he signed for his home-town team Waterford FC, who ply their trade in the League of Ireland.

He made four appearances at the back end of last season and thus far he's only played in five league matches during the 2021 season - he was withdrawn in the first half against Bohemians back in April and hasn't been seen since.

Murphy remains on the sidelines and now aged 38 you have to wonder how much time he has left on a football pitch at professional level.

He's had a long career that has seen him win 32 caps for his country and score goals at many levels, but this could potentially be his final season in the game and Newcastle fans will definitely be thankful for his contributions in getting them back to the Premier League.