• Defender decided to join West Ham rather than moving to Goodison Park • ‘It was not right for him and it wasn’t a challenge he could embrace’

Roberto Martínez has claimed Sam Byram was not the right player for Everton despite bidding an initial £3.7m for the Leeds United defender before he chose West Ham United.

Sam Byram is just the latest young star Leeds United have failed to hold on to Read more

Byram joined Slaven Bilic’s team this week having rejected an offer from Everton that was worth more to Leeds and having met Martínez to discuss the personal terms. Everton made the first move for the 22-year-old yet, with Seamus Coleman established at right-back at Goodison Park, could not offer the pathway into their team that is available at West Ham.

And the Everton manager has made the strange claim that Byram was not the right player for Goodison after all.

“Sam’s situation was one where, as on many occasions, we were first to identify a good player in the Championship,” said Martínez. “We went through the correct procedures, established a good relationship with Leeds, but in the end it was not the right move for Sam or the right player for us and that was end of it for us.

“I am pleased we were at the forefront of identifying a player but it was not for us. I can always give a correct path for a youngster to fulfil their potential but it wasn’t right to bring a young talent in for the sake of it. It was not right for him and it wasn’t a challenge he could embrace.”

Coleman and James McCarthy have returned to training this week following respective hamstring and hip injuries but Sunday’s Premier League game against Swansea City may come too early for the Irish duo to make their first-team comebacks.