Wrexham secured an emphatic 3-0 victory over Reading on Saturday but it wasn’t all good news for Phil Parkinson, who has since shared an injury update on two of his players.
Wrexham’s win against Reading at the weekend extended their unbeaten run in the league to three matches following three points over Wycombe and a draw at Bolton.
In the early stages of this campaign, Phil Parkinson’s men have sent out a statement to their divisional rival, with EFL pundit Sam Parkin suggesting Wrexham can win promotion if three things happen.
Parkinson was pleased with the display of Jack Marriott against Reading while supporters will have been overjoyed to see talisman Paul Mullin return to the pitch.
The Liverpudlian goal machine has been recovering from minor spinal surgery and the 29-year-old is now working hard for a starting spot.
Mullin was the latest Wrexham player to return from injury after Jacob Mendy, while Parkinson has dropped a further update on two more ahead of Saturday’s trip to Peterborough.
Phil Parkinson drops injury update on Ollie Rathbone and George Evans ahead of Peterborough clash
Wrexham’s record signing Ollie Rathbone and defensive midfielder George Evans were both absent from the matchday squad on Saturday.
Rathbone has been struggling with a foot injury and wasn’t risked against Reading but Parkinson does believe the 27-year-old will return on Thursday, ready to get back on the training pitch.
Speaking to The Leader, the Wrexham boss said: “Ollie should be back by Thursday. He did his foot on his first day of training which was unfortunate and then he played.
“There’s bone bruising, he had a scan and there’s no break, he played and it flared up a bit more. We just decided that we are going in this cycle where he needed to rest but he is back running on the training pitch so that is good.
“He is a fit lad, we just need to get some training in his legs now but we have got plenty of time to do that.”
Parkinson delivered some positive news on Rathbone’s fitness but the verdict on Evans wasn’t what fans were hoping, as the 29-year-old is confirmed to be out for two weeks with a groin problem.
“George will probably be out for a couple of weeks,” added Parkinson. He just strained his groin slightly in training last week.”
Ollie Rathbone and George Evans Wrexham struggles
Last season, Evans was a crucial player for Parkinson, operating at the base of midfield alongside Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee.
But, since George Dobson was signed, Evans has been forced to sit on the bench, with the former Charlton captain flourishing in a defensive midfield role.
Dobson recorded the most tackles of any player (9) in the EFL against Reading and the 26-year-old has cemented his place in the starting XI, leaving Evans with work to do when he returns.
As for Rathbone, supporters haven’t seen the best of their record signing as of yet. He was used as a second striker against Sheffield United but he’s better utilised as part of a midfield trio.
Rathbone is great at driving forward with the ball, similar to Lee, and unlocking defences. However, much like Evans, he’ll have to work hard to break into one of those midfield spots.