Murray wants Premier League longevity

Glenn Murray (right) celebrates with Anthony Knockaert after scoring the third goal in Albion's 3-0 win at West Ham. Picture by Phil Westlake (PW Sporting Photography)

The 34-year-old striker has scored 13 goals for Brighton this season, including 11 in the Premier League, and the Seagulls sit 12th in the top flight with eight games to go.

Murray has netted 36 times since returning to Albion from Bournemouth, originally on loan, in the summer of 2016 and has struck 92 goals in total for the club.

Having only made his debut in the Premier League aged 30, Murray now wants to stay among the elite of English football for as long as he can.

His excellent form this season saw his name bandied about for an England call-up and asked by former England striker Dion Dublin, on the BBC Premier League show, where he sees himself in two years, Murray said: "I'd like to still be playing at this level in some sort of capacity.

"That could be more of a role like Peter Crouch now, coming off the bench to help his team out. I'd like to think I could still be at this level at that age.

"I've got a little bit of a regret I didn't get here earlier. I'd have liked to have got to the top level a little bit sooner than when I did as I was 30 before I played here.

"But I understand my attributes better now. I know how to play to my strengths more than what I did as a youngster.

"Some would argue watching me that this is the best football I've ever played."

Murray began his career at Workington Reds, before he played in America for Wilmington Hammerheads and then returned to England to play for Barrow.

His professional career got underway at Carlisle, before he joined Rochdale in 2007 and then moved to Albion for the first time in 2008.

Asked if he thought he was good enough to play in the Premier League when he was younger, Murray said: "I didn't actually, no

"I probably lacked belief a bit as a younger man. It's pretty tough in the lower leagues. I would over-think things. When I had children, I think my game got better because I had something to take me away from football and stop thinking about it.

"On a Saturday morning before a game, I like to get out, take the dog for a walk, do something with the kids, just not think about the game. When I sit and dwell on the game, it's not a good thing."

Reflecting on Albion's season so far, Murray said: "It's going well at the minute. The job's still not done yet, we've got to pick up a few more points in the Premier League.

"But if anyone had given us this scenario at the start of the season, to have 34 points with eight games remaining and to get to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, I think we'd have snapped their hand off."

The striker admitted the Albion squad had a meeting about their aims before the season started and said: "You had people saying they wanted to better the best finish by a newly promoted club but for most of the squad, it was 17th and above, maintain our place in the Premier League and build on it for next year."

Keep up with all the top football news and transfer gossip from England, Scotland and beyond with footballwire.co.uk