By George! Byers aims to make his mark with Swansea

THE image of the sullen footballer moodily hunched forward with headphones and hood pulled down is one that has become something of a caricature in the Premier League era, but it’s fair to say Swansea City’s George Byers bucks that trend.

As the 21-year-old turns out of the home dressing room at Landore he is smiling from ear to ear, and who could blame him?

He has just helped Swansea City Under-23s book their place in the semi-finals of the Premier League Cup, having recently caught the eye of first-team boss Carlos Carvalhal.

Byers has had a fine season in the No.10 role for Gary Richards and Cameron Toshack’s side, scoring eight goals so far this term.

Factor into the bargain that he has come within an ace of making his first-team bow and he is a man who has plenty to look forward to.

His future will need sorting as his contract runs out this summer, but he is a young man clearly enjoying his football.

And, while that first-team opportunity has so far proved elusive, it has underlined to Byers that he made the right move when swapping Watford – where he had been from the age of seven – for south Wales nearly two years ago.

“It was a fair old trek to move from Watford to Wales, but I can tell you it has not only made me a better player, but I think it has made me a better person as well,” he says.

“It is quiet down here, so it means you have that opportunity and there are less distractions from making sure you can be the best footballer you can be.

“That’s what you want from your career, to be the best you can, and it’s been a great two years at Swansea for me.

“It was very different, but a new challenge. I had lived at digs before with Watford, but I was comfortable and I settled in well.”

Byers made the first-team breakthrough at Watford while the club were in the Championship, making his bow as a substitute against Charlton Athletic at the age of 18.

But he made the decision to leave for Swansea when his contract expired at the end of the 2015-16 season.

It meant Byers made the move away from a place he had come to consider home, and from a player who had helped mentor his development at Vicarage Road.

“I was close to Troy Deeney, he really helped me an awful lot when I was there and around the first team as a 17 and 18-year-old,” recalls Byers.

“He was such a big help for me and he is someone I still keep in contact with and chat to. He was massive for me, and he is a top player and someone I look up to.

“There were bits of advice he would give me, or an arm round the shoulder if he felt it was needed. I knew him as a friend and not just a colleague.

“We had loads of good chats, but that is what you need. When you are a young player you always look up to those older professionals.

“He was a big help to me and such a great professional.”

Despite the upheaval, Byers took the move in his stride, quickly adapting to his new surroundings and making an impact in his favoured attacking midfield role.

He marked himself out as a thinking man’s player.

Understated in his movement, but effective at finding pockets of space to operate in, his ability from setpieces and well-timed runs into the box also proved eye-catching.

That form has continued this term, with the only frustration being the experience of being sat on the Swansea bench throughout the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Tottenham.

But it has only whetted the appetite for more, particularly after seeing the likes of Daniel James, Connor Roberts and Adnan Maric all get their chance at senior level in recent months.

“I enjoyed it very much, although it was frustrating not to get on,” he said.

“But being in and around that environment is where I want to be at the end of the day. To get that opportunity drives you on.

“I’ve had that taste of being at the Liberty Stadium in front of a big crowd, being part of a big occasion. The only part that was missing was getting out on the pitch, but that only makes you more motivated for it to happen.

“You feel like you are close – some of the other lads in this side have had a taste of it – and that is my goal.

“I would love to make my debut for Swansea, and that is the ultimate goal for me. We will see what happens over these final weeks of the season.”

In the meantime, it is all about a series of big games for the under-23s.

Having secured a league and cup double last term, Swansea are well in the hunt to repeat the feat in the top tier of Premier League 2 with two games remaining.

They showed their nerve in impressive fashion to beat Brighton in their cup quarter-final last weekend, scoring nine out of nine – including a Panenka-style effort from Byers – to prevail in a nervejangling penalty shoot-out.

Now, back in league action, victory over title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates tomorrow would put them top of the standings before fellow hopefuls Leicester and Liverpool play over the weekend.

“We go there with confidence, it’s a big game for us, but one we are really excited about. We know where we want to be at the end of it,” says Byers.

“I know it could be an amazing end to the season, I was fortunate enough to win a double last season and we are back fighting for it again.

“It would be a great reward for this group of players with the guys who have come in to the squad and helped us have such a good season in a new division.

“We know what is at stake, every game is big, but it’s about performing because if you do that then the rest will come.”