OPPORTUNITIES WERE SCARCE for Ryan Manning at Queens Park Rangers during Steve McClaren’s tenure as manager, but the Galway native is now thriving following the departure of the former England boss.
Generally regarded as an attacking midfielder, Manning has received praise for his performances at left-back recently after making consecutive starts as the Loftus Road outfit arrested a run of poor form.
Having gone six games without a win, a goalless draw at Millwall was followed by a 4-0 home win over Swansea City, with Manning playing all 90 minutes on both occasions.
The 22-year-old was sent out on loan to fellow Championship club Rotherham United in August and made a positive impression. Yet despite being recalled by McClaren in January, game-time was limited for the former Republic of Ireland U21 international.
An appearance as an 88th-minute substitute against Wigan Athletic in February was followed three weeks later by a rare start at Middlesbrough, in which he was withdrawn at half-time.
However, following McClaren’s recent sacking, caretaker manager John Eustace has restored Manning to the QPR team in a different — but not entirely unfamiliar — role.
“I played there [at left-back] a bit last season and I have done throughout my years here at QPR. I actually don’t mind it,” Manning told QPR’s ‘The Loftcast’.
“Obviously it’s different to being in the centre of midfield — I suppose you have less of the pitch to worry about, to an extent — but I’m enjoying being back in the team.
“I don’t mind where I play as long as I’m on the pitch. Left-back is a good position. I’m enjoying it. We’ve had two clean sheets and two good results so everything is going well so far.”
He added: “I’m obviously delighted to finally get back in the team and to get a couple of games on the bounce, to be able to put a bit of form together for myself personally.”
While he has yet to be capped by his country at senior level, Manning was included in a provisional squad for the first time by former Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill for the games against Northern Ireland and Denmark last November.
With Ireland due to face the Danes and Gibraltar in Euro 2020 qualifiers in June, Manning’s return to the QPR team has come at a good time if he’s hoping to grab the attention of current boss Mick McCarthy.
Discussing QPR’s change of management, he said: “It’s a fresh start and a fresh approach to things. I just looked at it and hoped that something might change in my favour so I might get a chance to play, and I have. I’m enjoying playing now that I’ve been back in the team.
“It’s a fresh opportunity. Hopefully now I can keep my place in the team until the end of the season. The season probably wasn’t going too well for me since I came back [from Rotherham] in January, but to finish it positively and hopefully play the next few games would be a good end to the season for me and I’d be happy with it.”
Manning, who has made 60 Championship appearance since leaving Galway United in January 2015, will be hoping to retain his place for tomorrow’s visit of Blackburn Rovers, when a win would secure QPR’s Championship status with three games still to play.
“It was obviously massively frustrating,” Manning said of his lack of involvement in the majority of QPR’s campaign. “For any player the situation would be the same. I was out [on loan] and I think I played 19 or 20 games in the first half of the Championship season. I was playing week in, week out and really enjoying the test of going up against the best players in the Championship.
“To come back and not really be involved, and with the results not being good at all, that was even more frustrating. You’re wondering where the opportunity is going to come from.
“It was probably a tough few months but everyone has times in their career when they’re going to have to deal with stuff like that. To have hopefully come out the other end of it now and get a few games together is what I’m really enjoying at the moment.
“It was a tough few months but it will only make me stronger going forward. I’ll know how to deal with these situations. It wasn’t good but I’ve taken the positives from it.”
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