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The popular defender had hoped to land a longer contract but with negotiations having stalled, Ryan has decided to turn his back on a possible European game in search of a better deal elsewhere. At the moment, he doesn't have a club lined - although both Hibernian and Derby County are said to be interested - so he'll be hoping to impress any potential employers with another impressive display at the Millennium Stadium.
The match against Manchester United will bring the curtain down on an evenful six years at Millwall which has seen the former Republic of Ireland Under-21 international experience the highs of promotion and an FA Cup Final and the lows of play-off defeats and missing out on the AWS Shield Final at Wembley in 1999 through injury.
During that time, Ryan has become one of Millwall's most consistent performers. He has seen off the challenges from the likes of Jamie Stuart, Ronnie Bull and Tony Craig for the left-back berth and last year was runner-up in a poll for the fans' Player of the Year, narrowly missing out to goalkeeper Tony Warner.
He was signed from Huddersfield Town for a paltry £10,000 - many rate Ryan's signing as one of the best in terms of value for money in the Club's long and distinguished history - and made an immediate impact alongside Stuart Nethercott in keeping Millwall in the Second Division. He went on to cement his place in the side the following year but now, with rumours of the possible signing of Graeme Le Saux, Ryan has decided its time to move on.
"I've had six great years here," he confessed. "But I wasn't happy with the contract I was offered."
Ryan has always played with a smile on his face and although limited in technical ability, he has a great positional strength that puts him in the right place at the right time and times his tackles to perfection. He now faces his toughest test against Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo. But rather than shirk away from the task in hand, Ryan has revealed a rather crude way of stopping the onslaught from two of the most feared wingers in Europe.
"I'm aiming to kick them all over the place," he confessed. "I haven't got a Plan B."
Of course Ryan was joking - he's not as crude as Chopper Harris or Ron Yates - but the Millwall faithful know that come what may, he won't be found wanting. And who knows, if he scores one of his rare goals, he may just find a new deal on the table.
As the jovial Irishman himself put it, "You never say never in football."