It became quite the novelty seeing Jack Byrne strut his stuff on the continent over the past twelve months. In terms of their final league position, Cambuur were awful but the Eredivisie was an ideal place for the young Dubliner to get his first taste of senior football.
Four league goals and plaudits galore was about as much as anyone could have asked for. He went from 'that Irish kid at City' to the future of Ireland's midfield. That's a hefty jump in stature but Byrne has shown time and time again that he's more than willing to take on that mantle.
His introduction to the Ireland senior setup back in March was just a taster but all signs that were coming out of the camp that week suggested that he'd be back there as a full member of the squad before long. And, although, the novelty of Eredivisie football is no more, Byrne's loan move to Blackburn should be perfect to help him along that path.
A very warm welcome to Owen Coyle's fifth signing of the summer, Manchester City starlet Jack Byrne pic.twitter.com/l0UQL2z2Qm
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) June 29, 2016
City confirmed the deal today with Byrne heading to Ewood Park for the duration of the 2016/17 season. With fellow Irish u21 international Darragh Lenihan already holding down a place in the Blackburn midfield, Byrne certainly won't be overawed by the task of breaking into Owen Coyle's starting XI. Alongside Lenihan, Byrne also has Shane Duffy, Anthony Stokes and John O'Sullivan to help him settle into his new surroundings.
