Phil Parkinson has dropped an encouraging claim on the nine players who were released from Wrexham.
Wrexham were elated to achieve a historic promotion to League One this term and celebrated in style with a trip to Las Vegas.
A holiday to the United States, bankrolled by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, rewarded their hard work and dedication to finish second in League Two.
Although they were delighted to celebrate their success together, the trip will have been emotional for some players who were told they were being let go by the club.
Wrexham announced that nine players would be departing upon the expiry of their contracts, many of whom played a vital role in their Hollywood journey – including Luke Young, Ben Tozer and Aaron Hayden.
It’s a trio that amassed a total of 463 appearances during their time at the club, with most supporters feeling emotional about their departures.
Phil Parkinson explained that his decision to let captain Young depart was purely down to him deserving of a starting spot elsewhere, something that wasn’t guaranteed at Wrexham.
Phil Parkinson claims clubs are interested in departing Wrexham players
The hardest part about leaving a football club is not knowing what is next but luckily, the likes of Young, Tozer, Tunnicliffe and Hayden shouldn’t be short of offers from League Two or National League clubs.
Tozer, Tunnicliffe and Hayden would be a great defensive option for some fourth-tier clubs while Young is capable of pulling the strings for a side higher up the division.
Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, Parkinson explains that managers have already rung him up to enquire about the departing Wrexham contingent.
He said: “I think all of the lads you have mentioned and a couple of others, because they’ve been part of this journey and a part of promotions, they’re going to get good opportunities elsewhere to go start a new chapter in their careers.
“Youngy is a great example, so pleased that Youngy got back into the team for the last couple of games and did really well for us, maybe that little run of games he’s had and a couple after Christmas as well will hopefully get him a move that he really fancies and I’m sure he will.
“There’s already been a couple of managers who rang me about all the players we’ve let go, asking me about them as people, so there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for them.”
Wrexham continue to make the right decisions
After watching Young perform well towards the latter stages of the campaign, it would have been easy to give in to the temptation of offering him a new deal.
Ultimately, though, it was the correct decision to let the 31-year-old depart on a high note, as while he’s a talented midfielder, he isn’t of the standard to play in League One and Parkinson knew that.
Likewise, when assessing the futures of the other departing players, Parkinson didn’t see them as a long-term part of his plans and correctly didn’t give them a new deal.
It was the perfect time to let go of several fringe players as it created more space in the squad and armed the Wrexham boss with a bigger budget to spend.