It’s early Monday afternoon, and Ryan has just finished his lunch at Florence Park. He looks focussed as he comes down the stairs dressed in a full training kit. There was a lot of excitement in the air surrounding the U21s as they prepared for their clash against Chelsea U21.
The first thing the U21s captain tells us at the time is that he can’t wait to face the Blues in four days’ time. But how did the twenty-year-old get to where he is today, giving himself the ability to play against one of the best U21 sides in the country?
“I started playing when I was younger, I started at an early age,” Ryan says as he glances at the training pitches in front of him.
“I signed for West Ham when I was eight years old, got through the academy until I was about thirteen then sort of fell out of love with football really.
“I left the academy when I was thirteen then went to play with my mates until the age of about 16 with Billericay and then that’s when I decided to try and pursue a professional career and come here.”
Ryan then decided to join Colchester U16s by signing his first scholarship and has not looked back since.
He then signed his first professional contract at the age of eighteen in 2022 and has featured for the U21s since.
“It’s been a bit of an up and down season, including the last, with injuries and all that, but I’m looking to try and kick on and try to get in the first team and start my career,” Ryan says with a hint of motivation in his voice.
He also reminisces on his first day at Colchester, adding that he was “pretty nervous”. What helped, however, was the fact that he knew some of the boys at the academy, having played with them before.
“When I signed my scholarship, it was a really proud moment for me because that was the first start to my career. I think that was the first big achievement,” Ryan says.
He was also “buzzing” when he was given his first professional contract. “I think that was the next big thing,” the midfielder adds.
“So, signing my professional deal sort of solidified that for me. It was a real proud moment, especially doing it at eighteen, it was a bit unexpected, and it was a really proud achievement.”
Switching the topic of conversation, Ryan tells us what his plans for the future are. He confidently says that “trying” to get into the first team is one of his priorities.
He adds: “I’ve just come back from injury, so staying fit and trying to kick on with my career and have a good professional career overall is also on the list.”
Lastly, Ryan analyses the U21s season so far saying: “I think performance wise as a team we haven’t been too bad.
“We’ve just been losing games, been out of form. Every game is a good chance to get back at our performances recently and really work on what we have to do.”
As far as his personal development is concerned, the twenty-year-old plans on seeing where the season goes.
“Maybe get a loan to try and help my development and then try and push in the first team later on in the season,” Ryan adds.
