Phil Parkinson’s hardly used Wrexham player has been told the ‘onus is on him’ to prove his worth in pre-season.
Wrexham have enjoyed a break in Las Vegas for the second year running after winning promotion to League One.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds rewarded the players with a much-needed break to recharge their batteries and get ready for a difficult challenge in the third tier.
The players have now returned to the United Kingdom and Phil Parkinson is formulating plans for the summer ahead, with the 56-year-old looking to bolster his squad with quality.
Wrexham have already waved goodbye to nine players from their first-team squad, including long-serving veterans Luke Young and Ben Tozer, but one individual who will be here for another season at least is Jordan Davies.
Jordan Davies told he needs to prove his worth to Wrexham in pre-season
It’s been a difficult season for homegrown talent Davies but the start of it promised so much.
The 25-year-old scored a piledriver in the 5-3 defeat against MK Dons on the opening day but didn’t make his first start of the campaign till a 2-1 win over Sutton United in October.
Unfortunately, the ‘sensational’ metronome would only make one further start – playing left-back in a 2-0 defeat against Accrington Stanley – as Davies saw his game time restricted to substitute appearances.
He was largely frozen out of his manager’s plans, with Parkinson preferring George Evans, Andy Cannon, Elliot Lee and James McClean as his midfield options.
With his contract expiring in 2025, it feels like it’s make or break for the Wrexham fan favourite and journalist Nathan Salt believes ‘the onus is on him’ to prove his worth in pre-season.
Speaking on the Rob Ryan Red podcast, Salt said: “The onus is on Jordan, if he doesn’t want to leave on loan or leave permanently, the onus is on him to knuckle down in pre-season.
“Make a case that he can be, as we go up a level now and the technique will be more apparent, and maybe the physicality will reduce ever so slightly, that it will be an opportunity for him to rewrite the script after a frustrating campaign in League Two.”
Jordan Davies will get his chance in pre-season
Wrexham embark on their ‘Wrex Coast’ tour of the United States and Canada towards the end of July. The Reds will play three fixtures against Bournemouth, Chelsea and Vancouver Whitecaps.
This is a perfect chance for Davies to wipe a clean slate on his Wrexham career and prove his worth to Parkinson ahead of a campaign in League One.
Although the Reds are likely to strengthen their midfield options this summer, the club won’t look to sell the Welsh wizard unless an offer comes in.
And on the back of a difficult season, he will probably be at the Racecourse Ground for another year.
Indeed, Davies must grasp this opportunity to impress with both hands and show the quality he’s capable of producing to give himself every chance of earning minutes in the third tier.