He has enjoyed nearly eighteen months at Swansea City since signing from Queen Park Rangers. A versatile and important member of Russell Martin’s squad, Ryan Manning has found his feet this season and more importantly understands the way he is expected to play, and as we have seen he can do it well.

Born in Galway, Ireland Ryan started his career in 2014 at Mervue United in the league of Ireland second tier. He was quickly spotted and Galway United stepped in to take him to Deacy Park where again he impressed leading them to the top tier in Irish football. It all happened so quickly that two years after his debut at Mervue he was in west London when Premier League Queens Park Rangers decided to bring him to Loftus Road. Harry Redknapp was then the R’s manager. Calling Manning a ‘top player and a good gamble’ Redknapp indicated Ryan was that good he could lift the side off the bottom of the Premier League table. That didn’t happen, and in fact Ryan played no top flight games for the R’s.

In fact when QPR were relegated he didn’t feature at all in their first championship season. Ryan had to wait until the 2016/17 season before making his debut. Over the next four years he would play only eighty seven games scoring seven goals. A loan period at Rotherham United during the 2018/19 season was successful appearing in eighteen games scoring four goals. That loan spell alerted Swansea City to his potential availability and since his arrival Ryan has played forty six games for the swans. His versatility has been of great value to both Steve Cooper and Russell Martin being able to play across the back of the defence and in midfield. Ryan can also get forwards and his energy and desire to do so saw a spectacular strike against Preston recently to win the swans the game.

Since joining the swans in October 2020 for a fee of around £250,000 Ryan Manning has made his debut for the Republic Of Ireland. That happened the next month in the nations league. In his first interview Ryan mentioned a game he played for Rotherham when he turned the game around for the millers to win. Also an eye opener for Ryan when at QPR, again against the swans. Manning jokes when he recalled those games “ I came on at half-time in the game for Rotherham and Swansea were absolutely battering us. It was 1-0, but it could have been a lot more. I’ve no idea how there was only a goal in it and, somehow, we got two of the softest penalties I have ever seen given and I managed to score them both and Rotherham nicked it. The QPR game was my first one after John Eustace had taken over. We’d had a difficult time and we went out there just trying to get some sort of results. All of a sudden, you get 10 minutes in, and we are 2-0 up, and it’s 3-0 after about 20 minutes. We were sitting there at half-time wondering what had happened! Like I say, there’s a bit of making up to do with the Swansea fans, but I promise I’ll be doing my best to make sure the results are in our favour and make sure their memories of me are positive ones of me playing for their club."

QPR manager Mark Warburton wasn’t that impressed when Ryan joined the swans. There was most certainly bad feeling over his contract offer. “The players get offered a contract and if they don’t want to sign it that’s absolutely their prerogative,” Warburton explained. But at that point our focus and our energy has to go into players who want to sign contracts and want to be here. Simple as that. Nothing rude to Ryan. I wish him well. I gave him more games than any other manager, so you know what I think of him. But from our point of view the club have got to be strong and I hope very much our message is conveyed that it’s for the good of QPR. No individual player or staff member is ever bigger than the club.”

This season he has become one of the real danger men for Swansea City, Manning has an engine that never cuts out. His commitment is superb in a Swansea shirt, and if Coventry want any further warnings his assist rate considering the positions he has been selected in this season isn’t that bad either.

Photographs licensed from Reuters

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