PEC Zwolle winger Ryan Thomas is eager to show his talent after an injury-plagued season.
- By Lars van Maanen
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Ryan Thomas started his football career at WaiBOP United, a small team playing in the New Zealand Football Championship. The Kiwi impressed during a trial stint at PEC Zwolle in 2013, which led to a one-year-deal with the club.
He reached the 2013/14 KNVB Cup final with Zwolle in his first year, in which he excelled as he scored the first and second goal for Zwolle in the heroic 5-1 win against Ajax. The talented left winger had a decent second season, scoring three goals and giving five assists, and was hoping to shine last season. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury during the match against Ajax in November and missed the rest of the season.
Playing style
Thomas used to play as central attacking midfielder while in New Zealand, but has mainly been used as left winger at Zwolle. He is a very quick, but also technical player. A player who enjoys being on the ball, exchanging passes with his teammates and always looking for a shot on target.
Sometimes he’s struggling physically against strong, fast defenders. Thomas has a slim physique and that’s something he needs to work on if he wants to move to a bigger league in the future. Zwolle liked to attack via the wings over the past few years with tall centre-forwards like Necid and Veldwijk, but have now signed a more technical striker with Anass Achabar. It will be interesting to see if Thomas can also link up with a technical striker instead of a centre-forward.
What does this season hold for Thomas?
Zwolle have signed left wingers Younes Mohktar and Queensy Menig for the upcoming season, so it seems likely that Thomas will have to focus on the attacking midfielder position. He is talented enough to become a starter at Zwolle, despite the rivalry for the left winger position, and can be every defender’s nightmare if he manages to get back in top shape.
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Ryan is a lowkey hero in new zealand we missed him last season