Tornado player to honour the strike. At the end of the 1979 season, Ryan moved to the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League where he finished his career with three indoor seasons. Managerial career After living in the United States for eight years, Ryan returned to England to take over as manager of the Luton Town reserve team. Following Luton's dismissal of Ray Harford in 1990, Ryan was promoted for an 18-month spell as manager, saving the club from relegation on the last day of two successive seasons. However, he was sacked at the end of the 1990–91 season and replaced by David Pleat. About a month later, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson invited Ryan to return to the club as reserve team manager. He held the position until 2000, when he was promoted to coach the first-team. After assistant manager Brian Kidd left to manage Blackburn Rovers in December 1998, Ryan stood in as Ferguson's assistant until Steve McClaren's appointment in February 1999, taking full charge of the side for their 3–2 defeat at home to Middlesbrough on 19 December 1998, which Ferguson missed in order to attend a funeral. Ryan was named as assistant manager again after McClaren left to manage Middlesbrough in 2001, but remained in the post for just one season until Carlos Queiroz took over. From 2002, he was named as the club's Director of Youth Football, a position he held until his retirement in June 2012. Career statistics References External links Profile at StretfordEnd.co.uk Profile at MUFCinfo.com Profile at NASLJerseys.com 1945 births Living people Dallas Tornado players Luton Town F.C. players Luton Town F.C. managers Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Manchester United F.C. non-playing staff Manchester United F.C. players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Footballers from Stirling Scottish footballers Scottish expatriate footballers Scottish football managers English Football League players Wichita Wings (MISL) players Expatriate soccer players in the United States Association football forwards Scottish expatriate sportspeople in the United States