Norwich City: David Wagner on Sam Byram fitness and contract status

Byram has had an injury-hit career at Carrow Road that included two hamstring operations and 21 months on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old has not started a City game for nearly six months but is out-of-contract this summer along with the likes of Kieran Dowell.

“I don't like to speak now about certain individuals, but I know what's going on behind the scenes,” said Wagner. “I don't like to speak about Kieran or any other individual where the contract runs down or even when the contract doesn't run down. With Sam, we have to make sure that his body doesn't let him down.

"This is I think the big thing for him. But there is not a shadow of a doubt about his quality as a footballer. He understands the game. Good technique, good vision. He has everything.

“It isn't that after five months or so of injury, and with his injury record, he comes back, plays, trains and then he starts. This is not how you at the minute can treat Sam Byram.

"But I'm very happy that he is back consistently with us in the group the last three or four weeks. Everybody can see immediately that he is top footballer.”

Wagner is resisting the urge to fast-track Byram into his plans, ahead of the penultimate Championship game at West Brom on Saturday night, despite injuries to first choice centre backs Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson.

Jacob Sorensen (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

“This could be an option, for sure. Obviously, we are not great in terms of numbers at the centre back position at the minute, to say it in a nice way,” said the City chief. “Lunghi (Jacob Sorensen) is doing his job as good as he can, even if he is not a natural centre back.

"Obviously, then the next choice would be Sam, but we should not underestimate how long he was out, and that he still has to adapt.

“We still have to be very careful with him, in terms of the training regime, that he gets his rest over a training week, especially after he played some minutes for us from the bench. That is still something we have to have our eye on, so that he stays healthy.”