Leeds United manager Daniel Farke was left impressed by the performance of Sam Byram in the pre-season friendly defeat against Monaco.
The Whites academy graduate, who is gaining fitness at the club after leaving Norwich City at the end of last season, came on in the 65th minute in the 2-0 defeat to the Ligue 1 side at York City’s LNER Stadium on 22 July.
The 29-year-old full-back may be hoping to make a return to Elland Road under Farke after leaving West Yorkshire for West Ham seven years ago.
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post after the Monaco game about the possibility of signing Byram, the Leeds boss said it was “too early to judge”.
“Sam is obviously a top, top player once he’s fit and a top-class character, a Leeds academy product, he’s had a really good spell here and he’s homegrown, which is also important for the Championship.
“He’s an experienced player, that’s what we need in a few positions. We could definitely also need some signings. But the most important topic for Sam is that his body is fit and ready to go.
“I was quite pleased with him in the final 30 minutes today, he came in in a difficult spell, we were a bit under pressure from Monaco and I think he had a solid start to life here in pre-season.
“The most important topic is that he stays fit and all the other topics are decisions that will be made in a few weeks but we are all happy that we have him because he’s good for the dressing room at the moment.”
An asset
There’s no doubt that a fit and healthy Byram could be a real asset to Leeds for the upcoming season, given his experience and versatility to play in a number of positions.
He also knows exactly what it means to wear the white shirt after coming through the academy and playing 143 games for the club during his first stint at Elland Road.
Although the defender hasn’t always had the best of times since he left in 2016 – largely down to injuries – he still has almost 250 career appearances to his name and knows the Championship well.
Farke also clearly trusts him after signing him for Norwich in 2019 and now providing him with the opportunity to show what he’s got on his current trial.
There would be a lot worse signings Leeds could make than bringing Byram in this summer, so if he can prove his fitness over the next couple of weeks, he would be a decent addition ahead of the new campaign
