Wrexham defender, Jacob Mendy has travelled to join up with Gambia’s training camp ahead of AFCON. This will see him miss potentially multiple games for the Reds.
After a good start to life back in League Two this season, Wrexham look to face a blow to their squad in the coming weeks.
So far this season, the Reds have been on a charge up the league and currently find themselves sitting in third place.
The good results have been maintained by the use of a core spine to the team which has seen Phil Parkinson make few changes unless enforced.
This has seen stars like Paul Mullin and Elliot Lee stand out once again, while new stars like Arthur Okonkwo and George Evans have shown their class.
With that being said, the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations will potentially see one player depart for potentially a month. Despite the tournament not yet starting, there has already been an update in this story.
Jacob Mendy to miss FA Cup clash
Jacob Mendy is a full Gambia international following his first call-up and appearance being made in 2023. Now it appears that he could be part of their AFCON squad for the coming month.
It has been reported by Leader Live that he ‘has joined the Gambia squad for their pre-Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) training camp in Saudi Arabia.’
As a result of this, as a minimum, the Wrexham full-back will miss Wrexham’s FA Cup third-round clash against Shrewsbury Town this weekend.
In the tournament, should Mendy be selected, his Gambia side take on Senegal, Guinea and Cameroon. Should they progress, they could feature in games as late as February 11th.
With that being the case, the Reds defender could potentially miss games against Wimbledon, Newport, Crawley, Salford and Bradford. This could see him be out for six games over the month and he would be sorely missed.
It must be said however that Mendy hasn’t yet been confirmed as a part of the Gambia squad at the time of writing. The Scorpions name their final squad for the tournament on January 9th.
He may return and join up with the Reds squad following the Shrewsbury game should he not be included in the full squad. Given that he has already made an appearance for Gambia, it is safe to assume he will play a part.
Although Wrexham fans may be frustrated to lose Mendy for a period, no one can begrudge him a tournament with his nation. Everyone at The Racecourse will wish him well in the Ivory Coast should he be chosen.