Stephen Bradley says Jack Byrne has come back to Shamrock Rovers a better player than he left - despite hardly playing a game in an entire year.
Byrne left Tallaght on the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2020 season to join former Ireland boss Mick McCarthy at APOEL in Cyprus.
But McCarthy was sacked the day after Byrne made his debut as a substitute in a fourth successive defeat to Doxa in January, just two weeks after the midfielder's arrival.
25-year-old Byrne made just four further appearances under McCarthy’s successor Savvas Poursaitidis before surgery on a troublesome back injury ended his season.
The Ballybough man parted company with APOEL in August and had options on both sides of the Atlantic before deciding to return home to the club where he became an international.
Bradley watched Byrne run the show for 57 minutes in Monday night’s 3-1 win over Drogheda United despite having planned to rest him.
And the Jobstown man feels Byrne has returned from his spell in Nicosia a more mature and rounded individual than the man who left just 12 months earlier.
"You could see near the end [of his first spell] that he was becoming a leader,” Bradley said after the win over Drogheda.
“The international stuff definitely helps for when you are an international player you must carry yourself like that. He has matured.
"He just understands it and respects it. I think this is the key. Maybe when we first got him it was about doing too many little cameos.
"But, now, his all round game has matured and this is the key to being a top player. He is in a different head space to when we first got him.
"When we first got him it was … interesting (smiling). But now he is in a different place. He is in a much better place in his head than when he was here first.
“He is a lot more settled . He definitely can be, he wants to be and he wants to work hard which he is."
Despite his lack of gametime in Cyprus, Bradley is adamant Byrne would have prospered in different circumstances and is glad to have his playmaker back.
"He was very unlucky at the time. He was there only ten days or two weeks when Mick McCarthy goes.
“It could have turned out totally differently. If Mick stayed there, he could still be there. Thankfully Mick left!
"Jack could not turn down that opportunity and that chance. The important thing is that he is back and it's great to see him performing and being mature about his performances."
Bradley expects Byrne will only show his true form come the second round of games but against Drogheda he showed glimpses of what he’s capable of at his best.
The playmaker was carrying a knock coming into the game and, like defender Pico Lopes, wouldn’t have played but for the fact Rovers needed a win after losing to Derry on Friday.
“This is probably only his fourth competitive game in close to a year so this first round of games is about getting him to his level to sharpen his mind and feet.
"But you could see on Monday night that he's getting there. His pass for Sean's goal, he sees it so quick and then his finish.
"He had a knock coming into the game so we weren't even going to play him, to be honest. Thankfully, we were able to get him out for 57 minutes.
"[Taking him off] was just a precaution with the knock and Friday in mind. He has not played a lot of competitive games so we need to be careful that we don't kill him or he picks up silly injuries.
"It's about making sure he gets that sharpness but it has to be over a period of time and not rushed. I'm delighted that he got those 57 minutes and it was a good 57 minutes."
Byrne made his international debut under McCarthy while at Rovers and made further appearances under his successor, Stephen Kenny.
He hasn’t featured since undergoing surgery in March but Bradley feels he’s fully capable of realising his international ambitions back in the League of Ireland.
Bradley said: “One hundred percent, he can. I’ve no doubt he can play there again. In a few weeks’ time we’ll see him back to his right level.
“He’s a good character. He’s mature around the dressing room and training. He handles himself like an Irish international.”
