Everton Ledson joined
Everton's academy at the age of five. After progressing through the ranks at the
Everton Academy, he made his debut for the club's under-21 team under
Alan Stubbs, in a 0–0 draw against
Chelsea on 25 April 2013. At the end of the 2012–13 season, he signed a scholarship with the club. The following season, 2013–14, Ledson continued to play for the under-21 side and scored once against
Liverpool U21 on 14 April 2014. He appeared in the first-team squad as an unused substitute on two occasions, against
Southampton and
Manchester City, later in the season. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was awarded Academy Player of the Season and the prestigious Keith Tamlin Award at the club's Academy ceremony. On his 17th birthday, Ledson signed his first professional deal with the club, for three years, keeping him until 2017. After being an unused substitute against
West Ham United on 22 November 2014, he made his first-team debut on 11 December 2014, starting in a
UEFA Europa League game against
FC Krasnodar at
Goodison Park. Everton, who had already advanced into the next round, lost 0–1. This turned out to be his only appearance in the Everton first team. He scored for the U21 side on 9 March 2015, in a 2–1 win over against
rivals Liverpool U21. During his time at Everton, Ledson was compared to
Frank Lampard by local newspaper the
Liverpool Echo, which described him as "an aggressive, ball-playing central midfielder" who "lists tackling and passing as his key strengths".
Loan spell at Cambridge United Despite playing for the reserves in the first half of the season, Ledson expressed his desire to leave the club on loan for first-team experience. On 20 November 2015 he signed on loan for
Cambridge United, initially until 3 January 2016 and later extended until April 2016. He made his league debut on 21 November, playing the entirety of a 2–3 loss to
Accrington Stanley at the
Abbey Stadium in
League Two. After making his debut for the club, Ledson quickly established himself in the starting eleven. His loan spell at the club was extended three times, eventually to the end of the season. Ledson made a total of 28 appearances for Cambridge and returned to his parent club at the end of the season.
Oxford United His lack of first-team football at Everton continued in the 2016–17 season, and on 25 August 2016 Ledson signed a three-year contract with
Oxford United of
League One for an undisclosed fee. Ledson was linked with a move to
Portsmouth before moving to Oxford United. Ledson made his first-team debut as a late substitute in Oxford United's 2–0 home victory over local rivals
Swindon Town on 10 September 2016. However, he injured his knee while warming up during a 2–1 loss against
Southend United and was sidelined for a month. After recovering from injury in early November, he returned to the first team, starting in a 5–0 win over
Merstham in the first round of the FA Cup. He gradually established himself in midfield, and scored his first senior goal in a 4–0 away victory over
Rochdale on 21 January 2017, firing into an empty net from at least 35 yards after intercepting a misplaced free kick. He was named the
EFL Young Player of the Month for February 2017. Shortly afterwards, he was shortlisted for the
Young Player of the Year award but lost out to
Exeter City's
Ollie Watkins. Ledson also played in the
EFL Trophy Final and started the match before coming off in the 57th minutes for
Liam Sercombe, who scored the club's only goal in the game, in a 2–1 loss against
Coventry City on 2 April 2017. Later in the 2016–17 season, he found himself out of the first team, due to international commitments and injury. Despite this, Ledson finished his first season at the club having made 30 appearances and scoring once in all competitions. Ahead of the 2017–18 season, Ledson switched number shirt from 23 to 8. After returning from injury, he regained his first-team place in central midfield. He then scored his first goal of the season, converting successfully from a penalty, in a 2–1 loss against
Walsall on 23 September 2017. After an error that allowed
Chris Long to score in a 2–1 loss against
Northampton Town on 11 November 2017, he made amends for his mistake seven days later when he scored in a 4–0 win over
Plymouth Argyle. During January, Ledson remained the subject of transfer speculation, with clubs such as
Preston North End said to be interested. Amid the transfer speculation, Ledson scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–2 win over
Charlton Athletic on 3 February 2018. Ledson was voted the Supporters' Player of the Year at the club's end-of-season awards dinner, as well as picking up the awards for Young Player of the Year and Goal of the Season.
Preston North End Ledson joined
Preston North End in May 2018 for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the club on 4 August 2018, in a 1–0 win against
Queens Park Rangers. He scored his first goal for the club on 7 November 2020, in a 2–1 defeat against
Rotherham United. Ledson was named as the Players and Supporters Player of the Year for the 2020–21 season. Ryan Ledson signed a new contract for Preston North End in December 2022 until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Huddersfield Town On 30 May 2025, Ledson joined
League One side
Huddersfield Town on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at Preston North End. He made his debut for the club on 2 August 2025, in a 3–0 win against
Leyton Orient. ==International career==