Wrexham defender, Aaron Hayden has had a great season, this despite him spending large spells of last season injured. He has gone under the radar as one of the best players in the Reds side this campaign.
It has been a great season so far for Wrexham which sees them currently sit in second place in League Two, at the time of writing.
Under the management of Phil Parkinson, the Reds have gone from strength to strength given where he began with the club.
After winning the National League, there were many opinions suggesting that back-to-back promotions are possible. With 10 wins in the first 20 league games this campaign, the Reds are firmly in the hunt.
This has seen many star performances across the season from various players. With that being said, let’s look at one man who has flown under the radar.
How good has Aaron Hayden been?
Last season was a tough one for Aaron Hayden, there is no hiding that. The centre-back made 26 appearances but didn’t play a game after January following an injury vs Sheffield United.
With that being said he did manage to score 12 goals in a small number of matches which is impressive for a defender.
Despite the Reds securing promotion, Hayden wasn’t involved and didn’t make his league return until the start of this campaign. He played 26 games last season and has already played 12 this season.
He has contributed to six league clean sheets, not featuring in just one clean sheet that has been kept by Wrexham this season.
According to WhoScored, he has featured in 975 minutes this campaign which gives him the ninth most in the Reds squad.
On average, per 90, Hayden has made 1.1 tackles, 1.5 interceptions, 4.7 clearances and 0.8 blocks which just shows the contribution he is making. Multiple of these stats have him as the best in the squad this campaign.
This has seen him average a 7.07 rating which sees him named the fourth-best player in the Wrexham squad. The obvious stars Elliot Lee, Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer are the only ones to sit above him.
According to FotMob, he sits in the 85 and 91 percentile for defensive actions and aerial duels. This makes him one of the best in the league.
It is clear that Hayden has been in top form this season and hasn’t seen as much coverage as some. Given his performances, more people may start sitting up and taking notice of the Wrexham star.