Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Ryan Manning

Irish footballer (born 1996)

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Ryan Phelim Manning (born 14 June 1996) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a left-back or midfielder for EFL Championship club Southampton and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Manning began his career with Mervue United and Galway United in Ireland before joining Queens Park Rangers in 2015. He spent the first part of the 2018-19 season on loan at Rotherham United before being recalled in January 2019. Manning moved to Swansea City in 2020. After leaving Swansea in 2023, he signed for Southampton. Manning has represented his country at youth and full international level.

01Early life

Born on 14 June 1996, Manning grew up in Carnmore, County Galway and played with his local football team, Cregmore Claregalway.

Manning playing for Galway United in 2014
Manning playing for Galway United in 2014

02Club career

Mervue United

Manning started his senior career at Mervue United, playing for the club's under-19 side before progressing to the club's first team. He made his debut as a 16 year-old against Athlone Town in the second tier of Irish football, the League of Ireland First Division. He went on to make 29 senior appearances in 2013, scoring 9 goals in his first season. In his sole season with the club, Mervue reached the League of Ireland promotion/relegation play-offs. Manning was sent off in the second leg of the semi-final against Longford Town and Mervue went on to lose the match on penalties after an aggregate scoreline of 3-3.

When Mervue United withdrew from the national league, after the O'Connor report recommended that one club represent the city of Galway, Manning signed for Galway F.C. (later renamed Galway United).

Galway United

After his debut season at Mervue he moved to fellow First Division side Galway United for the 2014 season. Manning and Galway had a brilliant season as they went on to win promotion to the Premier Division via the Promotion/relegation play-offs, with Manning scoring in both legs of the final as United brushed aside Premier Division outfit University College Dublin in a 5-1 aggregate win.

Queens Park Rangers

In January 2015, Manning was signed by Queens Park Rangers on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The then manager Harry Redknapp stated he was delighted that Manning had signed for Rangers after having received interest from other Premier League clubs.

After Redknapp departed QPR, Manning initially did not feature in the first team under managers Chris Ramsey or Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. But, with the arrival of Ian Holloway, he was given his first team debut on 31 December 2016 against Wolves a game that Rangers went on to win after having had a run of six consecutive losses. He performed so well that he was hailed by his manager as having been "outstanding". Manning described his own debut as a dream come true, especially as he only received his squad number the day before. He impressed in his next two games, which were all victories, and he was thus awarded a new contract tying him to the club until 2019. He rounded off the month by scoring his first league goal against Fulham on 21 January, in a game which ended in a 1-1 draw against their west London rivals.

Rotherham United (loan)

On 16 August 2018, Manning joined Rotherham United on a loan deal until the end of the 2018-19 season. Manning was recalled by QPR in January 2019. He made 18 appearances and scored four goals for Rotherham during his time on loan at the New York Stadium.

Swansea City

On 16 October 2020, Manning joined fellow Championship side Swansea City for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 27 October, starting in a 2-0 victory over Stoke City, a victory that saw Swansea move into the automatic promotion places.

In February 2023, Swansea manager Russell Martin confirmed that Manning would depart the club at the end of the season with the defender having no intentions of signing a new contract.

Southampton

On 11 July 2023, Manning joined Southampton on a free transfer, signing a four-year contract. Manning made his professional debut for the club on 4 August 2023 in a 2-1 away victory against Sheffield Wednesday. Following his fifth yellow card of the campaign during a 2-1 away victory against Hull City, he was suspended for one game.

He made his first Premier League appearance on 5 October 2024 in a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal. Southampton were ultimately relegated from the Premier League, but Manning outlined his desire to stay at the club. He made 27 appearances in all competitions throughout the season.

On 10 August 2025, Manning came on as a substitute, where he scored a free-kick and provided Jack Stephens with an assist to help secure a 2-1 victory against Wrexham. Manning scored another free-kick on 30 August in a 2-2 draw with Watford.

03International career

On 6 November 2018, Manning was named in the senior Republic of Ireland squad for the first time for the friendly against Northern Ireland on 15 November and the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on 19 November 2018. He made his senior international debut against Bulgaria in the UEFA Nations League on 18 November 2020.

04Personal life

His brother Ronan Manning is also a professional footballer for League of Ireland First Division club Treaty United.

05Career statistics

Club

As of match played 12 September 2026
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Mervue United 2013 LOI First Division 269101020309
Galway United 2014 LOI First Division 214001042266
Queens Park Rangers 2014-15 Premier League 000000, 00
2015-16 Championship 000000, 00
2016-17 Championship 1810000, 181
2017-18 Championship 1920020, 212
2018-19 Championship 902010, 120
2019-20 Championship 4141021, 445
2020-21 Championship 000011, 11
Total 8773062, 969
Rotherham United (loan) 2018-19 Championship 184, , , 184
Swansea City 2020-21 Championship 17030, 10210
2021-22 Championship 3821030, 422
2022-23 Championship 4352010, 465
Total 9876040101097
Southampton 2023-24 Championship 370100030410
2024-25 Premier League 2402010, 270
2025-26 Championship 438303020518
2026-27 Championship 710010, 81
Total 11196050501279
Career total 3614016017212240644

International

As of match played 26 March 2026
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Republic of Ireland 202010
202130
202220
202350
202420
202590
202610
Total230

06Honours

Southampton

Individual

Watch videos about Ryan ManningExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Ryan Manning, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.