Sam Byrne

Club

_Retired Soccer

Position

Forward

Nationality

Ireland

Date of birth

1995-07-23

Birthplace

Dublin, Ireland

Height

1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)

Weight

0

Signing / transfer fee

Free

Sam John Byrne (born 23 July 1995) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Everton under 23 team as a forward. Born in Dublin, he began his career with St. Joseph's Boys before joining Manchester United in July 2011. He has also represented the Republic of Ireland at every youth international level from under-15 to under-19. His brother is Leinster Rugby player Adam Byrne.

After beginning his career with St. Joseph's, Byrne joined Manchester United in July 2011, entering the club's academy as a first-year scholar. He made his debut for the club's under-18 team away to Southampton on 27 August 2011, but it took three months for him to score his first goal, which came against Liverpool on 25 November 2011. He soon became a regular starter for the under-18s and went on to score four goals in 28 appearances in his first season with the club.

The 2012–13 season began slowly for Byrne as he scored just two goals in 11 appearances before the turn of the year; however, five goals in the second half of the season – including braces against Fulham and Southampton – earned him plaudits from coach Paul McGuinness.

In 2013–14, Byrne played in all six of Manchester United's UEFA Youth League group matches but was unable to get on the scoresheet as United finished bottom of Group A and were eliminated from the competition. On 31 January 2014, he was loaned to Carlisle United with team-mate Charni Ekangamene. He made his professional debut the next day, coming on as a substitute against Bristol City.

On 23 May 2014 Byrne was released by Manchester United, and joined Everton on a free transfer on 18 July.

Byrne has represented the Republic of Ireland at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels.

He made his debut for the under-15s as a left-winger in a match against the Aspire Academy from Qatar on 14 December 2009. He moved up front for a second match against the Qatari side two days later and scored Ireland's only goal in a 3–1 defeat. He marked the last of his six appearances for the under-15s with a brace of goals in a 5–0 win against Northern Ireland.

He made the step up to the under-16s at a tournament in Italy in October 2010, playing in all three matches against Ukraine, Italy and Denmark. His first goal for the under-16s came in the first of two fixtures against Hungary on 23 November 2010, the first in a 2–1 win. He missed the team's trip to Turkey in March 2011 after being selected for the under-17s' 2011 UEFA Under-17 elite