Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson will look to rotate his side against Reading on Tuesday night, but a new injury blow has emerged.
The Carabao Cup takes centre stage on Tuesday night as Wrexham take on Reading in the third round.
Wrexham have already seen off Hull City and Preston North End in this season’s competition, and will now take on Reading.
Parkinson will bring in fringe players to face the Royals after Wrexham’s win over Norwich City, but defender Aaron James will not be involved.
Wrexham confirm Aaron James injury blow
James started Wrexham’s Carabao Cup win over Hull City in August, and may have been in line to at least be on the bench against Reading.
However, Wrexham have now confirmed that James is set for a spell on the sidelines through injury.
James will now undergo surgery on a knee problem, with the defender set to miss a ‘prolonged period of time’.
The 20-year-old has shown some potential when given a chance to shine, and he attracted interest over the summer.
Falkirk were interested in taking James on loan before the transfer deadline, but no deal was done.
Parkinson has praised James as a ‘reliable’ defender, but we likely won’t see the Wrexham talent in action again until 2026 at the earliest.
Wrexham’s defensive options against Reading
Wrexham will be without James against Reading, but Parkinson will surely switch up his back line against the Royals.
Max Cleworth and summer signing Dominic Hyam both started at Norwich, while Callum Doyle and Lewis Brunt played a half each.
We would not expect Cleworth or Hyam to start on Tuesday night, although the involvement of Doyle and Brunt will be interesting.
Wrexham can call upon Conor Coady and Dan Scarr at the back, but neither defender is particularly well-suited to playing on the right of a back three.
Brunt and Doyle playing either side of Coady or Scarr would make sense, although starting with both Brunt and Doyle ahead of this weekend’s clash with Derby County would be a surprise.
James could have slotted in on the right side of Parkinson’s back three, but his injury means the Wrexham boss has some juggling to do ahead of Tuesday’s game.