Ryan Hardie has struggled for regular minutes since joining Wrexham this summer and has now been sent some advice on improving his game.
Wrexham signed Ryan Hardie for £700,000 from Plymouth Argyle during the 2025 summer transfer window.
A clause in the striker’s contract meant the Red Dragons paid £1.3m less than his original release clause due to Plymouth being relegated.
Hardie scored 10 Championship goals in 37 matches despite being in a struggling side last term and seemed like a solid buy for Wrexham.
However, the 28-year-old has had a hard time getting into the team in recent weeks, and one expert has now suggested how he can improve.
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Ryan Hardie out of Wrexham squad
Hardie has lost his place in the Wrexham squad after initially featuring in four of their first five Championship fixtures.
He played 61 minutes of the 3-1 defeat against Queens Park Rangers but has since been left out of the following four matchday squads in the league.
Now, journalist Richard Sutcliffe has explained how Hardie needs to be doing more work off the ball, similar to Josh Windass and Lewis O’Brien.
He said when discussing Wrexham’s back-up options for Kieffer Moore on the Rob Ryan Red podcast: “It seems to be that Smith is the sort of de facto option when you want to change things. But like you say, it’s a lot to ask Kieffer Moore to keep going because he’s going to be key in this international break as well.
“So he doesn’t get a break, and I get your point as well that he did look tired in these three games, and he didn’t have the impact, which could be it. So it is something we’re going to have to look at. He’s 33. Hardie, I’m not sure he’s done enough all round. So you’ve got to track back in that, because he’s been playing off the striker mainly.
“You have got to do more, you’ve got to do the stuff that Windass does and obviously O’Brien’s been doing and Broadhead when he’s come on, just that tracking back and making sure that you’re safe when the opposition have got the ball.”
What Phil Parkinson has said about Ryan Hardie
While he hasn’t been playing regularly in the league, Hardie has featured in all three of Wrexham’s Carabao Cup fixtures this term.
He only played three minutes of the third-round win over Reading on September 23, but did score his first goal of the campaign in the 3-2 win over Preston North End in the previous round.
Parkinson praised Hardie for his efforts on the night, drawing special attention to his goal.
He said: “It was an outstanding goal.
“I think it was a great move, we worked the ball into this left-hand channel and what a finish to get us back in the game.
“I’m pleased for Ryan, I really am. He’s a terrific player, his movement is top class, and him and Smudge did really well.”