When Jacob Murphy left Norwich to sign for Newcastle United last summer he left something very important behind. Someone who had been there through it all, the good times and the bad, the one person he had never lived without. He left his twin brother Josh.

For the first time in 22 years, Jacob has not had his twin - older by just two minutes - beside him as he took his first tentative steps as a Premier League footballer. For once, he could not rely on a comforting look from his brother, an unspoken word of encouragement. This was something they could not share, an experience they would not enjoy together.

They still speak every day, but it is not the same. Murphy described the bond between them as “unbreakable” but it has never been stretched like this before.

By his own admission Jacob struggled at first. Living alone in Darras Hall, Northumberland, popular with footballers he found the adjustment challenging on and off the pitch.

At £12m he was Rafa Benitez’s most expensive signing, as Newcastle prepared for their return to the Premier League, but he could not get into the team. For a few weeks he struggled to adapt to a higher level of football, while his brother continued to play regularly for Norwich in the Championship.