Home » Journeyman, Ryan Tunnicliffe released by Portsmouth

Journeyman, Ryan Tunnicliffe released by Portsmouth

by David Abraham


Ryan Tunnicliffe has just been released by League One’s Portsmouth F.C.

Does the name ring a bell?

Most Manchester United fans, if they are old enough, will remember Ryan Tunniclife. The all-action midfielder was part of a group of starlets who were thought to be destined for greatness in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Alongside Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Ravel Morrison, and others, Tunnicliffe was part of an impressive Man United youth team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2011.

At that level, his talent was so obvious that quite a few would have bet on his making it to the first team.

His father, famously, was one of such. The elder Tunnicliffe placed two bets when Ryan was only nine. The first was that his boy would go on to play for the Man United first team. The second was that he would one day play for England.

In September of 2012, Tunnicliffe Snr. won £10,000 – the proceeds of his first bet coming true. Ryan did play for the first team, making his debut against Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup. Sadly, the second bet would never materialise.

When he came on as a substitute against Newcastle in the Capital One cup, Ryan may well have reached the peak of his career. He would make only one more appearance for the club before being sent out on loan.

As so many Man United youth players sadly find out, outside of Old Trafford, life in football isn’t always quite as rosy.

The road away from United would first take him to Fulham, who were then led by former Man United coach, Renee Maulensteen.

At Fulham, Tunnicliffe made 59 league appearances before moving on to Wigan Athletic, Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, Luton Town, and finally Portsmouth.

Now, at the age of 30, Tunnicliffe has been released by Pompey and will have to find himself yet another port at which to make berth.

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