Liam Miller became one of Keane’s first signings for the Black cats in August 2006 but has started just one Barclays Premier League game this season and made just a handful of appearances from the bench.

Murphy, on the other hand, has made 12 league appearances since August, mainly on the wing, with eight of those coming from the bench, but has found the preferred pairing of Djibril Cisse and Kenwyne Jones a tough nut to crack in the race for a starting berth.

But to be fair to Murphy, many a striker would find it hard to oust Cissé or Jones from the starting lineup in the form that they're in.

Jones took his tally up to 7 for the season in the Tees-Wear derby with Middlesbrough, while Cissé has scored 9.

Both Miller and Murphy are likely to leave Wearside before the February 2nd mid-season transfer deadline.

Murphy has been linked with QPR in the past while Miller could also drop to the Coca-Cola Championship in a bid to earn first-team football.

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