Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has delivered a positive update to supporters ahead of their pre-season fixtures.
Wrexham will kick off their pre-season preparations with a trip to non-league outfit Hanley Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds arrive there with three new players, including goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, centre-back Lewis Brunt and midfielder George Dobson, while Phil Parkinson hasn’t ruled out a fourth signing being added to his squad ahead of the weekend.
Following their match against Hanley, where Parkinson anticipates fielding a strong side, Wrexham jet off on their Wrex Coast tour of the United States/Canada for pre-season.
Wrexham come up against Premier League opposition in Chelsea and Bournemouth along with MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. This will be a fantastic chance for the manager to see where his squad is currently at and test themselves against some quality players.
Phil Parkinson issues Wrexham injury update on James Jones and Jacob Mendy
Ahead of their pre-season tour, Parkinson has supplied an injury update on star striker Paul Mullin, who looks set to miss the opening couple of games of the League One campaign.
That claim on Mullin has since been followed up by an update on left-back Jacob Mendy and midfielder James Jones.
Whilst Mendy still has ‘work to do’ – in the words of Parkinson – Jones has joined in with the training sessions after returning from a hamstring injury.
Speaking to The Leader, Parkinson said: “Jacob has obviously got work to do. He had to have surgery, he is making progress but it is slow.
“James is fine, his hamstring injury wasn’t as serious as Jacob’s and he has joined in all the training so he is in a good place. It was great to get James back out there.”
The role James Jones will play at Wrexham
As a midfield trio of George Evans, Andy Cannon and Elliot Lee helped the Reds clinch promotion, it’s easy to forget the role Jones played before sustaining a hamstring injury.
The 28-year-old started 16 games in League Two and scored four goals, including a brace in the 5-5 draw against Swindon Town.
Parkinson rates Jones highly, so when the ‘sensational’ Scotsman suffered an injury in February’s 1-0 victory over Notts County, it was bitterly disappointing for the manager and the player.
The all-action midfielder missed the final 15 games of the campaign and was disappointed not to have played a part in winning promotion.
Ahead of their campaign in League One, Jones has the thankless task of earning a regular starting spot, competing against a plethora of quality players, including Elliot Lee, Andy Cannon, James McClean, George Evans, George Dobson and Jordan Davies for one of the three midfield spots.
Unlike academy graduate Davies – who finds himself in a similar boat – Jones does have League One experience having made 91 appearances in the third tier at Crewe Alexandra and Lincoln City.
That could give him every chance of pushing for a starting spot while a strong pre-season under his belt will go a long way to helping him in that quest.