Ryan's breakthrough aims

Is it a boost to know the manager will give players a chance by promoting from within the ranks?
It’s always been a club like that, hasn’t it? The gaffer doesn’t spend stupid amounts of money on players like some teams do. It’s just good to know that you can get a chance when you’re watching the likes of Scholesy [Paul Scholes], who’s still in the team, but also Sheasy [John O’Shea] and Wes [Brown] so you do know it’s possible to break through.

More recently, Tom Cleverley has made the step up as well..
Clevz [Tom Cleverley] and Welbz [Danny Welbeck] were doing well and started playing and everyone was talking about Tom being the next big thing for England and Danny played at the European Championship this year. I know them personally as well and, if you know what I mean, I grew up playing with them. So it’s a great boost for me personally to see them doing so well.

As you bid to make your mark is there any additional pressure now you’re now the only one of the highly-rated Youth Cup-winning central midfield trio at the club?
On the other hand, they were good players playing in my position so one of us might have made it and another one might have not. So with them gone, it does open it up for me in a way but obviously I was close to them. We were midfield partners and good friends. I was sad to see Paul go and I do think he was a great player and could have made it here as well. But another door opens and it goes both ways.

Being a local lad, did it hurt you more than most to lose the league to City?
To be fair, I was gutted. I didn’t leave the house for about a week. I have been a United fan ever since I started watching football and it does mean a lot to me – as you can see when I play as I give everything. It was a