Ryan Garry was a small part of the Arsenal story in the early 2000s.
He made just one appearance for Arsenal in the 2002/03 season and then had a stint at Bournemouth, as the former centre-back constantly had his progress curtailed by injuries.
Now an assistant manager at Belgian side Lommel SK, Garry spoke to [Het Belang van Limburg](https://www.hbvl.be/cnt/dmf20241205_97547060) about his playing career and he reflected on his time at Arsenal and the help he’d had from Arsene Wenger.
Garry explained the frustration he felt regarding the injuries and how they ultimately stopped his progress and ended his Arsenal career.
He said: _“A few months before my debut in the Premier League for Arsenal, I started having problems with both my shins. I was supposed to recover in six weeks, but it took two and a half years in total.”_
Garry stated that he joined Bournemouth on advice from Arsene Wenger but injuries never let him progress his career further.
_“I fought back, but in my last year of my contract I broke my leg. Wenger advised me to return to third division Bournemouth to get match fit. After ten games I broke the same leg in a different place. Very frustrating._
_“I played for another two and a half years and enjoyed a great period in Bournemouth’s history, but then I was struck by severe nerve pain in my lower leg.”_
In the interview, the former England youth player also expressed admiration for Wenger and his approach as manager.
_“I’ll always remember him as the man who gave me the chance to make my Premier League debut. I’m eternally grateful to him for that. You know, Wenger is an intelligent people manager._
_“When you look back now at how he managed all those superstars in one international dressing room, you say ‘well done’.”_
Considering how the Gunners had the likes of Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Pascal Cygan as centre-back options at that point, breaking through would have been hard even without the injuries.