When Luke Murphy arrived at the Pirelli Stadium midway through the 2016/17 Championship season, he had only one game under his belt for the campaign.

Having been out of the picture at Elland Road under then-Whites boss Garry Monk, the former Crewe Alexandra midfielder was looking for a chance to get back into first-team football.

Burton Albion gave him that opportunity - and it was one he grasped with both hands.

Over the 20 appearances he made for Albion, Murphy appeared to grow with every performance.

Others signed in that crucial January window would go on to make more obvious contributions.

Cauley Woodrow scored vital winners in victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, Michael Kightly produced some match-winning displays and Luke Varney's header was the one that secured the Brewers' survival.

But as Nigel Clough suggested when Murphy was forced to miss Burton's home clash with parent club Leeds - a game in which Kightly and fellow January signing Marvin Sordell starred - the Whites loan man was surely the most consistent of the lot.

Murphy's quality on the ball was telling, a vast array of passes capable of unlocking defences and setting a pacy counter on its way.

His confidence and experience in possession also told, so rarely did he look he under pressure, even in the most important of games.

But with the Brewers switching to a more pragmatic game plan in the second half of the season, the 27-year-old's incessant work off the ball was perhaps even more telling.

Luke Murphy goes for goal at Newcastle United in 2016/17

He was regularly utilised as a shield in front of Albion's defensive line, and it proved a masterstroke from Clough to station him there.

Murphy's eye for a pass would allow him to break up an attack almost before it had formed, rushing in to intercept a forward pass or closing down a man in space.

Strong in the tackle, he provided Albion's back four or five with a reliable insurance policy in front of them, and they will be glad to have him back again for the next nine months.

While the addition of Matty Lund and, latterly, record signing Liam Boyce has shown Clough's intent to give the Brewers a more incisive and high-quality method of attack in 2017/18, a primary target for the Albion boss has been to solidify at the back.

The arrivals of Stephen Warnock and Jake Buxton from Wigan Athletic, as well as new deals signed by John Mousinho, Ben Turner and Shaun Barker, show that to be the case.

Luke Murphy battles for the ball

Murphy's return to the Pirelli on a season-long loan only strengthens that spine. And if the Brewers revert to the more open, free-flowing football of August to December last year, his composure on the ball will tell.

Matt Palmer was perhaps one of the few Albion players not to fully benefit from Murphy's arrival last season. It was the Brewers academy graduate's holding midfield role that went to the more experienced Murphy in those closing months.

But with the 27-year-old back for another term, the pair may well be able to dovetail over a full campaign - and Palmer is likely to learn from the Leeds man's know-how.

Clough has previously spoken about the likelihood of some summer loan deals being completed close to the end of August, when parent clubs are satisfied with their own business and squad situations.

But Murphy's move, relatively early in the window, shows how keen Albion's manager was to get the versatile midfielder back at the Pirelli Stadium.