TOP MET BOTTOM in the Eredivisie last weekend as Cambuur entertained Dutch heavyweights Ajax.
Starting in the number 10 role, Ireland U21 international Jack Byrne made his 24th league appearance of the campaign on his season-long loan spell from Manchester City.
Cambuur eventually went down 1-0 thanks to Ajax captain Davy Klaassen’s header on the hour-mark, but the result doesn’t tell the whole story.
The home side actually played flowing football through the middle at times and had more possession than their opponents (55% to 45%) over the 90 minutes.
And Byrne was involved in much of their positive play. The 19-year-old was constantly looking to get on the ball and make things happen.
What impressed most during the individual highlights clip below was his range of passing abilities, his set-piece deliveries and the willingness to go in search of the return ball once he had found a team-mate.
It was well-documented that Byrne trained with Martin O’Neill’s squad for the first time last month and his exposure to senior football in Holland appears to be helping him develop as a footballer.
(h/t: Kieran Cunningham)
