Danny Murphy has explained how Sven-Goran Eriksson let him leave an England camp to go and be with his wife whilst they were trying for a child .
Murphy, who made over 200 appearances for the Reds between 1997 and 2004, was capped nine times by the Three Lions, with all of those caps coming under Eriksson's tenure as the England boss. On Monday, it was announced Eriksson had lost his battle with terminal pancreatic cancer.
The Swede, who was a lifelong Liverpool fan , died at the age of 76. Earlier this year, he was given the opportunity to coach Liverpool in a charity match that saw a Reds legends team defeat AC Milan 4-2 at Anfield . Following his passing, a number of Eriksson's former players have spoken out in tribute to the former England boss, who famously guided Lazio to only their second Serie A title ever back in 2000.
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Speaking on talkSPORT recently, Murphy explained how Eriksson used to treat his players with compassion, which was one of the reasons he was so well liked by them. Recalling a story from his England days, Murphy revealed that at the time the Three Lions were away on international duty, he and his now ex-wife Joanna Taylor were trying to conceive via IVF.
According to Murphy, timings had lined up for himself and Taylor, but he was away with England and was debating whether or not to sneak out to return home, which was half an hour away from where the Three Lions were staying in the north-west. While Eriksson could have ruled with an iron fist, telling Murphy he couldn't leave the camp, the then England boss instead opted to let Murphy leave.
"One of the best stories - he was very approachable," began Murphy. "We used to play away from Wembley, Old Trafford. At the time it was before I did IVF with my ex-wife and you know when the timing's right, well I was away with the England team.
"I lived in the north-west so it was only half an hour away from the team hotel. I thought 'do I sneak away or just go and see him?' But I thought I'd do the right thing, so I went to knock on his door, and said: 'look, this is the predicament'. He said 'it's not a predicament, get in your car, go home, be back for breakfast at 10 in the morning.' That was it, that's how he was. He gave all players that ability to approach him and talk to him about things, so you didn't go off and let him down.
Liverpool.com says: "Murphy's story is classic Sven-Goran Eriksson and frankly is just one of a number of anecdotes that have been told about the former England boss that sum him up perfectly. And we suggest you go and read about what he once told Didi Hamann after being sacked by Manchester City too ."
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