Breakthrough season beckons for this Hammer

Sam Byram will be making a major pitch to clinch the right back position for himself this season with the backroom staff seeing him as the real deal.

Many are anxious that with Sofiane Fegouhli having arrived and Gokhan Tore on his way to the Hammers, Michail Antonio will be continuing at right back this term.

But Julian Dicks and the coaching staff are confident that young Byram will be making his presence felt big time.

Byram may face the same sort of wait as was experienced by Antonio last term but this is the season Slaven Bilic sees as his breakthrough campaign.

We were told by Tony Gale, a pal of Julian Dicks, that ‘The Terminator’, Slav and the back rooom staff rate the youngster very highly.

Galey said: “I  was speaking with Julian last season and he told me that the lad is rated very highly by everybody so expect him to be breaking through.”