Wrexham will head into League One with not many international players who could spark fixtures being postponed next season.
As Wrexham’s rise continues, the opponents are getting stronger and stronger.
Wrexham will join the likes of Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town in League One next season, two clubs who have played Premier League football since Wrexham were last at League One level.
Those clubs have international players; Birmingham can call upon Curacao’s Juninho Bacuna and South Korea’s Paik Seung-ho as well as Wales duo Jordan James and Tyler Roberts.
Huddersfield will have Wales international Sorba Thomas alongside Northern Ireland’s Brodie Spencer and Japan’s Yuta Nakayama, so these relegated clubs will have international-level players.
League One doesn’t have an automatic break during international periods, but some of Wrexham’s games could be called off if there are too many players away on international duty.
Wrexham currently have just one regular international player in the squad – Gambia’s Jacob Mendy.
Steven Fletcher’s Scotland days are long over now but one player could return to the international scene later this year…
John O’Shea on Wrexham’s James McClean
Wrexham wide man James McClean has the most international experience of any player at Phil Parkinson’s disposal.
The 35-year-old made his Republic of Ireland debut in 2012, just a year after joining Sunderland from Derry City.
McClean has now racked up an impressive 103 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring 11 goals in the process.
The Wrexham ace even played at two major tournaments, turning out at Euro 2012 as well as Euro 2016.
McClean decided to back away from international football in November 2023, retiring from international duty after a friendly with New Zealand.
The Republic of Ireland haven’t qualified for Euro 2024 and actually find themselves in a difficult spot with no permanent manager in place.
Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea is in caretaker charge right now and he has now discussed the possibility of bringing McClean back into the fold.
O’Shea – who not only played with McClean for his country but also with Sunderland – has told Sports Joe that the pair have spoken.
O’Shea wanted to congratulate McClean on promotion with Wrexham but left the door open for a return to international action.
‘Incredible’ was the word O’Shea used to describe McClean, believing that he is in outstanding shape and could play a part for the Republic of Ireland moving forward.
“I was congratulating him with the season he had with Wrexham,” said O’Shea. “But I said, ‘Look, just go and enjoy your summer’. If he’s showing what he can do later on next season, we can deal with that. For the summer, I said I was largely going to focus on the squad I’ve picked for the last two games, with maybe one or two others as well.”
“James will never consider himself officially retired. He’s so proud to represent Ireland but for me, it wasn’t going to be the case that he was going to be involved. He’s incredible, the way he looks after himself. I picked Enda Stevens and Robbie Brady. They’re in their early 30s, but we need some more younger (players) . ..Ryan Manning is 28. We need more younger ones to keep kicking on and producing as well,” he added.
Why did McClean step away?
As O’Shea mentioned, McClean loved playing for his country, so why did he step away?
Well, the reason is tied to former Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny.
Kenny gave McClean his debut at Derry City but the pair had something of a rift – all because of McClean’s move to Wrexham last summer.
McClean recently admitted that he felt Kenny ‘couldn’t get off the phone quick enough’ and didn’t seem to approve of his move to the STōK Cae Ras.
“He couldn’t get off the phone quick enough,” said McClean. “That spoke of what he thought about the move. I don’t think he was on board. Ultimately, I would say that was a major factor in my decision to step away from Ireland. Sometimes when you make a decision, you are made to walk the plank.”
“I felt that if I don’t walk away now, I may never get the opportunity to say goodbye on my terms. I thought it was very disrespectful. I had offers to stay in the Championship but at my age I wanted to do something that would excite and be a challenge. Wrexham had a project and it’s a successful one. Nobody forced me to make the move but I’m glad I did and there’s a sense of justification,” he added.
McClean felt disrespected by Kenny, but he has now been axed as Republic of Ireland boss.
Maybe his departure – coupled with the personal relationship with O’Shea from their previous time together – can tempt McClean back into action.
Few Wrexham fans would begrudge McClean another run with the Republic of Ireland and a potential call-up is something to watch out for come the next international break in September.