An England legend defends Marmoush after a selfish moment that sparked controversy in London

Tottenham fans' patience faced its first real test, and Omar Marmoush found himself at the centre of the storm. Then a heavyweight name in English football stepped in to defend the Egyptian.

Danny Murphy leapt to Marmoush's defence after a disappointing display in the goalless draw with Nottingham Forest in the third round of the Premier League.

A goalless start and a moment that raises questions

Having arrived from Manchester City in the summer window, Marmoush made his second successive start for his new side. He is yet to find the net.

The Egyptian looked far from his best against Forest on Saturday, managing just two shots. Neither hit the target.

One moment lit the fuse. In the second half, Marmoush broke clear on a promising counter with Mohammed Kudus tearing up the right, ten yards ahead of the last defender and perfectly placed to score inside the box.

Rather than roll it across for Kudus and a golden one-on-one, Marmoush went for goal himself and blazed the ball high over the bar. His Ghanaian teammate could only stare in disbelief.

Murphy: it's the eagerness of stars, not selfishness

Analysing the match on the famous "Match of the Day" programme, Danny Murphy read the situation entirely differently, putting it down to hunger rather than greed.

"I don't think it will be a problem in the long run, because I see Marmoush as an exceptional player, but it seems he is so eager to score goals and to start strongly that he ignored Kudus," Murphy said.

The former Liverpool star added: "He sees him, and he knows where Andy Robertson is standing next to him, because he is a top-class player, but his intense eagerness to give his team the win made him take the wrong decision at the wrong time. He also wasted a golden chance in the first half."

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The riddle of Marmoush's new position

Murphy then landed on a tactical point that may explain Marmoush's confusion: the coach had deployed him out of position.

"Omar Marmoush should have dropped back," he continued. "Paul Merson played Marmoush as the most advanced midfielder in Tottenham's line-up, while Conor Gallagher played behind him in the number 10 playmaker role."

That switch came at the expense of striker Dominic Solanke, who stayed on the bench before coming on later. It all confirms Marmoush is still searching for his new identity within the Spurs system.

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