Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust

"Like most of our Youth Academy graduates, Ryan started with the U10s aged 9 and played up at an older age group most of the way through the Academy.
"From Keig near Alford, he was a pupil at Alford Academy and a former Donside Boys Club and Albion Boys Club player.

"Ryan can play in a number of positions. I think the number 10 role suits him well as he is good at finding space and is a threat in the final third but he can also play wide or left midfield. Again, he can provide excellent delivery from set pieces. He's also a good goalscorer from the midfield area and has a great strike on him and is a Scotland U16 & U17 International."
Neil Simpson,2nd September 2020

Ryan made his First Team debut in difficult circumstances as a substitute at Ibrox Park.
On 28th September 2021 Ryan was sent on loan to Peterhead FC until January 2022.

On 1st December 2021, the Club confirmed it had secured the future of highly rated youngster Ryan, with the AFC Youth Academy graduate signing a two-year contract extension.
The 17-year-old winger, who would now remain with the Dons until 2024, had been with the AFC Youth Academy since the age of nine, had scored ten goals in the Club Academy Scotland U18 League in the current season and had three assists.
A Scotland U17 international, Ryan was a stand-out for Barry Robson?s Under 18s side, before he joined Scottish League One side Peterhead on loan until January 2022.
The midfielder made his Aberdeen first team debut against Rangers in season 2020-2021 and was now focussed on continuing his development and making more regular appearances for the first team. He said:
"I am now contracted to the club until the summer of 2024 and that will take me to the age of 20. I now have two, three years to try and push myself into the team and try to become a regular. "It gives me a lot of security and I can just focus on my football now. "The pathway is really good at the Club. Obviously, there is a strong history of taking boys from the youth academy and putting them into the first team. It does make me believe that if I work hard enough then I will get a chance as well. "It is the perfect place for me to develop my game and hopefully I can make it through to the first team as soon as possible."
On 30th December 2021 the Club confirmed that Ryan's loan spell at Peterhead had been extended to the end of the current season and he returned to Pittodrie thereafter.
On 3rd March 2023, Ryan signed a new contract that would take him through to the summer of 2026.