Carragher Names Most Underrated Teammate Who Liverpool Sold ‘Far Too Early’

Jamie Carragher is a true Liverpool legend with 737 appearances for the club across a 17-year spell. As one of their greatest-ever players, fans would be wise to pay attention when he offers up his insight from his time with the Reds.

He famously named El Hadji Diouf as his worst-ever teammate, claiming: ‘He was always the last one to get picked in training.’ This sparked a bitter feud with the ex-Blackburn Rovers striker, who fired back: ‘The difference between Jamie and me is that I am a world-class player and he is a s***. ‘

At the other end of the spectrum, Carragher has also named his most underrated Liverpool teammate. Indeed, in a Q&A with The Telegraph, the English defender said that Danny Murphy deserved more praise than he actually got in a Liverpool shirt.

Carragher Claimed Danny Murphy Was “Really Underrated”

“Could play anywhere across midfield, created goals and scored goals”

Speaking about Murphy, Carragher was full of praise for his former teammate. The pair shared the pitch on 203 occasions during their time at Anfield and the England defender was clearly impressed, saying:

“Someone who was really underrated was Danny Murphy. Danny could play anywhere across midfield, created goals and scored goals – often in the biggest games. Danny always turned up when it mattered against Everton and Manchester United.

“He was not the most mobile player but he was brave – he always wanted the ball and wanted to contribute. You see some midfielders highly rated today and they hardly ever assist or score and they will hide when the going gets tough. We sold Danny too early. He was a lot better than many we brought in afterwards, that’s for sure.”

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Murphy has actually spoken about how he regrets leaving Liverpool too early as well. He joined the Reds in 1997 at the age of 20 but left in 2004 under Rafa Benitez having lost his place in the starting line-up.

Had he been a little more patient, he perhaps could have earned his place back in the team. Had he done so, the Englishman may have been part of the team to pull off the unforgettable Champions League victory over AC Milan in Istanbul just one season later.

Recalling how things played out, Murphy told BBC Sport: “It was a difficult decision for me at the time because I was so used to playing and I loved playing.

‘He made it clear to me more than once that that wasn’t going to be the case, so I had a difficult choice to make in a short period. The only thing for me of course is that the year I left they won the Champions League. Maybe I could have stayed and fought a bit harder under Rafa.

“People say they have no regrets. Well, I do, I regret not staying, but life is what it is. It was a wonderful seven years for me and being part of that Liverpool family is still very special to me.”

The midfielder would join Charlton Athletic and go on to play for Tottenham, Fulham and Blackburn before retiring in 2013.

Stats via Transfermarkt.