Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has backed Sam Byram to become a more regular starter for the Elland Road side.
Byram joined Leeds in the summer on a free transfer, the 30-year-old embarking on his second stint at Elland Road.
The full-back has made seven appearances for Leeds this season, six of which have come in the Championship.
Of those, four have been starts, with two outings off the bench, including against Hull on Wednesday night.
‘Difficult decision’
Leeds drew 0-0 on the road and, after the game, Leeds Live asked Farke about Byram’s condition and whether it was a case of managing his playing.
The 30-year-old was one of the best players against Millwall at the weekend, so he wouldn’t have been dropped on form.
“Yes,” confirmed Farke.
“It was also a difficult decision because I think he was one of our best players on the pitch at Millwall.
“But we waited till the last moment to have a conversation with him after our short training in the morning and he said to me he doesn’t feel ready to play 90 minutes, doesn’t feel ready to start again.
“Sam is an experienced player. Also, I trust also his choice and when we see where he’s coming from, we have to give him lots of credit that he plays on a regular basis and delivers so many top class performances.
“But yes to play on this level three games within six days is at the moment a bit too much too much for him.”
‘I’m quite confident’
When asked about whether Byram could go on to start three games a week, Farke was optimistic.
“Yes, I’m sure he will capable to do this,” he replied.
“Because he’s improving his endurance and his stability and also his belief in his body, more or less from day to day, but he comes from period in the last two years he hardly played the game and now he’s playing so many games that we have also good options with Luke Ayling, with Jamie Shackleton, so I’m happy that I have good options.
“I’m quite confident that the longer the season takes if he stays not injured that he’s capable to play three games within one week.”
Our view
It’s good to see Byram make such an impact after returning to Leeds. He was a cult hero in his first spell and he’s on the right track to become a club legend.
It’s also good to hear Farke being optimistic about Byram’s conditioning and potentially becoming a regular starter in a hugely important season for Leeds.