Everton u21 coach David Unsworth has today confirmed that Ireland u21 international striker Sam Byrne has broken his leg in what has been described as a 'freak accident'. The former Manchester United youngster has suffered the injury in training on Thursday and has already undergone on operation.
Despite the early intervention, the club have confirmed that he is set for a 'lengthy spell' on the sidelines. No details of exactly how the injured occurred have been disclosed although Unsworth was understandably eager to look to Byrne's recovery as opposed to the nature of the injury.
It was a freak accident. The boys are all gutted for Sam because they are a close group and he’s a popular member of the squad. We will give him all the support he needs and I look forward to having him back amongst us as soon as possible.
The former Naas AFC and St. Joseph's Boys attacker made the move to Man United in 2011. He was released from Old Trafford in 2014 before being picked up by Everton on a free transfer. The injury comes at perhaps the worst possible time for Byrne who has recently had a prolonged run in the Everton u21 side with his most goal coming in a win over Southampton last month.
On the international scene, Byrne moved up to Noel King's u21 side in 2014 having previously been a prolific scorer at u17 and u19 level.
