Former Brighton keeper Maty Ryan has insisted there is no hard feelings between him and current No.1 Robert Sanchez.

The Australian international lost the No.1 jersey to the Spaniard in December after he impressed head coach Graham Potter in training and on his Premier League debut against Tottenham in November.

Sanchez went on to make 27 appearances last season and keep ten clean sheets in the process.

His performances then saw him earn his first call-up for Spain in March before being named in their 24-man squad for Euro 2020, with him getting picked over Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga.

However Sanchez did not feature in the tournament.

With Sanchez getting the nod over Ryan, the 29-year-old had to watch on from the stands for seven matches from December 16 to the start of January.

He then spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at fellow Prem side Arsenal.

Ryan then ended his four-year spell on the South Coast last month by returning to Spain as he joined La Liga side Real Sociedad.

During his time with the Seagulls, he made 123 appearances and kept 27 clean sheets.

But Ryan, who is currently recovering from surgery on a knee injury he suffered in training, wrote an open letter on Sunday in which he explained there is no hard feelings between him and Sanchez.

He said: “Rob Sanchez has come in and done a really good job, contributing to the team in a really good way.

“He has matured a lot as a goalkeeper.

“When I first met him he was really young and he hadn’t had a lot of first team exposure, he was raw like I was when I was that age.

“Under Ben’s (Roberts) guidance he has come on leaps and bounds.

“He had a few loan spells out and is now doing it at the highest level.

“There is such a tightknit group, I wouldn’t have been able to have the contribution I had without the likes of Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Bruno Saltor and many others.

“I am sure that sort of environment has helped Rob, that confidence that he can go out and contribute.

“Credit to Rob, there’s no hard feelings between me and him at all, he was there supporting me when I was playing.

“It was a disappointment to lose the starting spot as we all want to play, but I have no hard feelings towards Rob and hope he does the region proud from here on out.”

Ryan also thanked Albion’s goalkeeping coaches Ben Roberts and Casper Ankergren for the roles they played in his development as a keeper, labelling the pair as some of the best coaches he has worked with.

He said: Finally, I want to give a special thanks to Ben Roberts.

“The difference is made in the detail. Ben goes above and beyond to prepare the goalkeepers that he’s got, but he’s also aware of what is out there in the goalkeeping world no matter what the age or place they are from, he has a really good knowledge.

“He saw something in me that he felt could help the team and I know he pushed hard to get me in, and then pushed me everyday to get the best out of me, I have to give my thanks to him for making the dream and opportunity a reality.

“He went to great lengths to do that.”

He added: “I would say it was a rubbish time working with Ben Roberts and Casper Ankergren because I know they get a kick out of banter.

“But honestly, working as part of that goalkeepers union alongside Nikki Mäenpää and Tim Krul when I first joined, they were fantastic role models, and were good blokes.

“Throughout my time at the club I knew I couldn’t drop my level because the competition I had meant that somebody was ready to take my spot.

“I’ve worked with David Button and Jason Steele more recently, as well as the young goalkeepers who have come through like Robert Sanchez and Christian Walton, but Ben and Casper always did a fantastic job of managing the group, making sure the dynamic was right.

“Those two made sure we always had the right tools to ensure we could perform at our best, to hopefully contribute to a team victory, managing our training, all the way down to the finest detail.

“They are some of the best I have worked with in my career and I will miss working with them.”

Ryan has yet to make his debut for Sociedad and will miss at least their opening league game of the season against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Sunday due to injury.

However, when he does return he will face competition from the ever-present Alex Remiro.