Jamie Murphy has been given a timely boost by a former Scotland boss – as he works his way back to full fitness.

The Albion winger is expected to be ready for pre-season after undergoing a hernia operation at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.

Former Scotland manager Craig Brown has told The Argus he would love to see his former player eventually be part of the senior national set-up. Brown, who had Murphy as a youngster at Motherwell and converted him into a wideman, said: “I keep an eye on him.

“When I was Scotland manager, I used to hate it when I read other managers telling me who to pick.

“So I won’t say that but of course Jamie played in the under-21s for Scotland.

“What I will say is that, if asked my thoughts, I would love to see it happen.

“He is a nice lad, a genuine lad, very humble “But it would be dishonest of me to urge anyone to pick him.”

Murphy had a subdued end to the season after a burst of three goals in four games in February.

But Hughton played down the effect the problem would have had on him during the promotion run-in The Albion manager said: “Jamie has had a hernia operation which is very, very common.

“A lot of players play through it and all you have to do sometimes is adjust their training.

“It certainly wasn’t a big problem during the season and we knew it was something he would get done at the end of the season.”