Any sensible tourist encountering the dilemma reportedly faced by Maty Ryan this season would surely have reached the same decision.

Derby, a fairly unremarkable city in the English countryside, or ... Rome? It’s a no-brainer, with all due respect.

Cross roads: Australian goalkeeper Maty Ryan.Credit: Getty Images

But as a goalkeeper considering his next club, it was a little more complicated than that. At Derby County, Ryan could have been a starter in the English Championship, potentially playing upwards of 60 games a season – but he would have had to accept a step down to a second-tier league.

At AS Roma, there was the glamour of being at one of the Italian Serie A’s biggest clubs, and the benefit of training daily with some of the world’s best players. But when it came to actually getting on the pitch, there were absolutely no guarantees. He would have to fight for his place, and it was always going to be difficult.

So it has proved. And now, he may have to move again to keep his place in the Socceroos’ starting XI.

Ryan played his first international minutes under Tony Popovic in Wednesday’s disappointing 2-2 draw with Bahrain. It was only the third time he has actually played for club or country in the 2024-25 season, and also the first time he had been preferred over Aston Villa’s Joe Gauci since Popovic replaced Graham Arnold as national team boss.

At AS Roma, he is yet to play at all, stuck behind incumbent goalkeeper Mile Svilar, who is regarded as one of Serie A’s best shot-stoppers.

Bahrain celebrate Mahdi Abduljabbar’s long-range equaliser against Australia last week.Credit: Getty Images

Ryan couldn’t be faulted for either of the two goals the Socceroos conceded in their second-half meltdown in Riffa – not even the speculative long-range bomb from Mahdi........

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