The 22-year-old starlet, who has already signed a contract with Lincoln City, been capped at the junior level for Sweden. It happened when he disclosed that he had visited Lincolnshire prior to accepting a contract with the SkyBet League One team, and that the team was interested in him.
He progressed through AIK’s youth ranks before leaving to join the English side. Although Ring has caps for Sweden’s under-21 team, he has had difficulty breaking through and securing a regular spot in the first squad at the club level.
Michael Skubala “Erik is a really exciting young player”:
Head coach Michael Skubala made the following statement to the Lincoln City club website:
Erik is a very promising young player who has the speed and strength that we have been looking to add to the team. He is straightforward, skilled in one-on-one matches, versatile enough to play either wing, and a true attacking weapon that can help us generate and score goals.Although we think Erik may have a big impact on the team this year, we also need to be patient with him as he gets used to the physical demands and high-pressure nature of English football.
The 22-year-old talked about his relocation’s motivations:
“I feel like joining Lincoln City is the appropriate move for me to play at a high level and as a member of the team.
“I’ve been working with the first team since 2020 and I’ve played for AIK since I was 15 years old. Playing for AIK has been incredible because I love the team, and the club holds great significance for me. Lincoln, in my opinion, is a pretty fantastic opportunity; else, I would not have left.
It makes me very delighted to be here. I’ve heard that the fans provide a wonderful environment, so I’m excited to see what we can produce together.
Jez George, director of football, continued:
“We found Erik early in the summer through our worldwide recruitment process, which is run by Matt Page and Toby Ellis. We use data to identify outliers in each league that fits our player profiles.
“We did our homework, watched Erik a lot, worked to get an agreement with AIK, and persuaded Erik that Lincoln City is the best place for him to leave his hometown club and relocate to the country for the first time. We appreciate how Thomas Bernsten, the sporting director of AIK, collaborated with us to make Erik’s move possible.
“We think we have a great talent that will thrill our fans, and he has the character and mindset to succeed in England,” the statement reads.
Fills a Potential Gap in the Squad – Opinion:
Erik Ring’s signing closes a possible hole in the Imps roster. Right now, Lincoln City is really thin on the left side. Jack Burroughs, a wing-back for Coventry City, returned to his parent club following a season-long loan, while Jaden Brown left Lincolnshire permanently to join St. Mirren in Scotland after never quite fitting in.
Reeco Hackett, who played left wing back for stretches of the previous season, is out due to injury, while Dylan Duffy’s long-term career is in jeopardy because of allegations related to purported betting rule violations. That creates a space down the Lincoln left that could be both short- and long-term.
When Ring stated he still had a decision to make, the Imps might have felt like they were slipping through their fingers throughout the agreement.
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