Leeds United boss Daniel Farke says a decision on Sam Byram will be made in the coming weeks, but the defender is welcome to join the club for pre-season.
Byram has been practising with the team at Thorp Arch and has been stepping in at left-back, where the Whites currently lack depth and talent. Junior Firpo is sidelined for five weeks with a ligament injury, and Max Wober did not play against York owing to what Farke termed as a ‘transfer scenario.’ Leo Hjelde, who joined Leeds as a centre-back, started the friendly against Monaco as left-back before being substituted by Byram in the second half.
The 29-year-old, a Leeds academy product, left Norwich City at the end of his contract this summer. Farke is a huge fan of the defender, not least because of his experience, but he won’t say whether a contract can be reached.
“It’s too early to judge,” Farke added.
“Sam is obviously a top, top player once he’s fit, and a top class character. He’s a Leeds academy product, he’s had a really good spell here, and he’s homegrown, which is important for the Championship.” He’s an experienced player, which we require in a few spots. We might possibly require some signings. But the most crucial issue for Sam is that his body is in good shape and ready to go.”
Farke was pleased with Byram‘s performance in his first public friendly appearance and stated that the ex-West Ham United player’s physical condition is the priority right now. Injuries made things difficult for him at Norwich, where he underwent two hamstring surgery and was sidelined for 21 months. Farke sees his presence in the Leeds squad as a bonus right now.
“I was quite pleased with him in the final 30 minutes today, he came in during 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 German remarked.
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