Deeney urged to stay by Byfield

Walsall veteran Darren Byfield has urged strike partner Troy Deeney to stay at the club because leaving too early would damage his career.

Deeney has caught the eye with eight goals this season and has been linked with a move away from the Saddlers.

But, ahead of tomorrow's home clash with Brighton, Byfield has advised Deeney to remain at the Banks's Stadium and continue his long term development.

The 33-year-old said: "You can go too early, the money would be better but it's not always about that – you can end up damaging your career.

"Troy would be away from home and I've been there. You go to a club, you're not playing and you're not as important. Here he's loved by the players, fans and staff.

"You can stay here and keep learning and, one day, you could get that right move to a Championship club, so he should be patient."

But the much-travelled forward believes the Saddlers must be successful on the pitch in order to keep Deeney.

The club sit 10th in League One despite having not playing for four weeks because of the big freeze, and will aim to cut the seven point gap to the play-offs against the Seagulls tomorrow.

Byfield said: "Troy is going to do very well in the game and, the more success we have here, the easier it will be to keep him. If we got promoted he could stay and hopefully we can keep him and he sees himself here for a while.

"He's at a young age but he's very important to the team."

Byfield believes the key to his successful partnership with Deeney is because they are totally different players.

The fellow eight-goal striker said: "Troy is more of a target guy whereas I can play around him. It works because we're not identical, I like to play on the shoulder, I like to drop short and I mix it up whereas he's always a focal point for us.

"He's only going to get better and he's learning. It's not just about learning it's about wanting to learn and he does, he listens and he takes a lot of advice.

"That is why I believe he's going to have a great career in the game."