Sam Byram, is he the Real Deal?

[Aces]

This year hasn't been a good year for young Sam, after last year where he was being acclaimed as a future star of football, where it was assessed there was no limits to what he could achieve, playing for a top club at the top level and eventually getting picked for England. So much so, Man city were reportedly going to table an £8m bid for him.

This year has seen a dip in form, it's not totally his fault, the whole team apart from Ross were very poor, but his own performances have been well below what we and he himself expect, so ......

Is Sam Byram still the real deal? Can he still be the top player we all thought he could be? Or have we seen the best of him?

[saintjimmy]

He'll come good again, he needs a good solid pre-season though I think it will do him the world of good, he is a good little player but we need to get him playing in a settled side in his best position when we decide if he is a full back , wing back or whatever , think we all say he could do with upping the defence side of his game tbf.

[SG90]

Hopefully he is over his injury now. I think he is still a top player and I hope we get to see a full season from him. I'd play him at RB though, rather than in midfield.

[Aces]

I personally feel he is wasted at Right Back, I know others disagree which is fair enough, it's all personal opinion. Could he be the ball holding/playing midfielder we are looking for?

[1964white]

Byram will be back with a good pre-season behind him after the niggling injury he picked up hindered his progress. Sam is one of a few players in the current set up whom i have alot of time for

[SiMamu]

Byram just needs a good pre season behind him. Bale had similar hamstring and hip problems when he was Byram's age, and he's turned out alright . Byram was forever playing catch up with fitness last season, being behind the rest of squad fitness-wise due to missing out on pre season and never able to achieve a real of run of games to pick up form because he kept on picking up new injuries as his body wasn't entirely right due to being so behind and trying to force himself to be fit.

While I think he's best at right back, not at right midfield as he likes to cling to the touchline and his overlapping is very good, better than many Premier league right backs (such as Glen Johnson). Byram is very good at linking with right wingers/players drifting out wide, like Diouf, and this link up is best utilised as a right back. He just needs to work on the defensive side of his game, but he's only 20, with the right coaching it'll come. He's still a top talent who has the potential to be England's right back - although with Kyle Walker, Nathaniel Clyne, Callum Chambers, Joel Ward and Carl Jenkinson he has some stiff competition.

[jjrgreeney]

I still think he can become the real deal, he needs to get himself fit first and foremost he never got a good run of games under his belt last season which hindered him a lot, he needs to be playing at RB for me he is not right winger what so ever and it showed when we played against teams like Rochdale, get him game time at right back we will see sam better than he was in his breakthrough season FACT.

doesn't help when our defense was getting slaughtered last season which isn't all down to them the midfield also need to take blame.

[SiMamu]

I personally feel he is wasted at Right Back, I know others disagree which is fair enough, it's all personal opinion. Could he be the ball holding/playing midfielder we are looking for?

That's an interesting idea. When I was watching James Tavernier play for Rotherham, he looked like he could become a box-to-box CM, and Byram's relatively similar to him.

[jjrgreeney]

I personally feel he is wasted at Right Back, I know others disagree which is fair enough, it's all personal opinion. Could he be the ball holding/playing midfielder we are looking for?

That's an interesting idea. When I was watching James Tavernier play for Rotherham, he looked like he could become a box-to-box CM, and Byram's relatively similar to him.

Funny enough Tavernier is on Newcastles books and they poached him from... you guessed it US.

its easy to what players you think could play where but sometimes it sounds better on paper than it really is.

[SG90]

I personally feel he is wasted at Right Back, I know others disagree which is fair enough, it's all personal opinion. Could he be the ball holding/playing midfielder we are looking for?

Lewis Cook? Ok he's only 17, but that didn't stop Hughes from playing regularly for Derby. Not saying he should play 46 games , but I'd like to see him get a good run like Mowatt and Sam have.