Nathan Byrne’s Charlton Athletic admission suggests Tottenham Hotspur made right call

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Former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Nathan Byrne may have struggled at White Hart Lane – at least based on his comments at Charlton Athletic.

Alongside Harry Kane and Tommy Carroll, teenager Nathan Byrne appeared to be the next big thing destined to emerge from Tottenham Hotspur’s academy back in 2012.

After impressing in loan spells at Brentford and Bournemouth, it seemed only a matter of time before then-Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas gave the St Albans-born prospect his opportunity in the first team.

According to Goal, Byrne had been identified as a potential understudy to rising star Kyle Walker on the right hand side of defence. Though, five years on, it appears that Tottenham may have made the right decision cutting their ties with the versatile youngster.

These days, Byrne is plying his trade with League One outfit Charlton Athletic after signing on loan from Wigan in January. Though it’s fair to say he’s not exactly enjoying being deployed at right-back at The Valley.

“Nathan doesn’t want to play right-back – he hates it,” Charlton boss Karl Robinson told London News Online.

“Before I signed here I spoke to the assistant Richie [Barker] and said I’d love to come – as long as I’m not playing right-back,” Byrne, who believes he is naturally more suited as a winger, added.

“The worst part is one-v-one defending – when someone is doing what you like to do to them. When you turn that around and they are running at you, it’s not very enjoyable.”

To Byrne’s credit, Robinson insists that he is willing to play out of position for the good of the team but the fact that he is so open about his difficulties in a defensive role suggest that he would have struggled if given the opportunity in the Tottenham first-team, especially considering the club’s first choice fullbacks, Walker and Danny Rose, were both converted from more attacking positions, and have since flourished.

These days, however, Spurs can have no concerns about their options at right-back, with the excellent Kieran Trippier producing arguably his most impressive Spurs performance in the recent 4-0 battering of Watford.