Murphy jumped at Celtic chance

Daryl Murphy admits he had no hesitation in quitting Sunderland for Celtic.

The 27-year-old forward signed a three-year deal with the Hoops on Friday and describes his switch to the east end of Glasgow as a boyhood dream.

He said: "Because of the fact that I wasn't playing and featuring in the manager's plans, it was an easy decision to leave. But I had some great times there and I'd like to say thanks to everyone involved there and the fans."

He added: "A lot of my family support Celtic and they are die-hard fans.

"I supported them as a boy and grew up knowing about the club and what it has achieved. As soon as I heard it was concrete that they wanted me, it was an automatic choice."

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.