Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has multiple decisions to make ahead of their clash against Wycombe Wanderers, including who should replace star man Paul Mullin.
The League One season is on the horizon and Wrexham supporters couldn’t feel any more excited.
Phil Parkinson has captured five new players, including goalkeepers Arthur Okonkwo and Callum Burton, defenders Sebastian Revan and Lewis Brunt along with midfielder George Dobson.
All five signings were present on their Wrex Coast Tour of the United States, as the Reds secured draws against Chelsea and Bournemouth before beating Vancouver Whitecaps.
Pre-season has presented opportunities to fringe players such as Jordan Davies and Sam Dalby, who have both given solid accounts of themselves and will hope to play a part in the third tier.
So, with that said, here are three things Parkinson must figure out before their match against Wycombe.
- READ MORE: Five key things we learned from Wrexham’s US pre-season tour as Wrex Coast Tour comes to an end
Paul Mullin’s replacement
Paul Mullin plundered 26 goals for Wrexham in all competitions last term but he’s set to miss the opening couple of games as he recovers from surgery on his back and hamstring issues.
Mullin’s injury has resulted in links to strikers, with Tottenham’s Will Lankshear and Millwall’s Tom Bradshaw on their radar.
However, with Lankshear taken on Spurs tour of Asia and Neil Harris not interested in selling Bradshaw, it seems likely that Wrexham will start the season with their current options.
In pre-season, Parkinson has rotated between Ollie Palmer, Jack Marriott, and Sam Dalby while even trying James McClean up front in their draw against Chelsea.
Wrexham close out their preparation with a home clash against Fleetwood Town on Saturday, so perhaps Parkinson will provide a clue into who will fill Mullin’s void.
Who lines up in the Wrexham back three
Similarly to his striker options, Parkinson is spoilt for choice in defence and this is reflected by the amount of rotation he’s done in pre-season.
Wrexham fans have seen Brunt, Max Cleworth, Tom O’Connor, Eoghan O’Connell, Will Boyle and even midfielder Dobson all used in his back three.
Cleworth, O’Connell and O’Connor were the trio used in the final stretch of their promotion-winning campaign.
It was that partnership that created a winning recipe for Wrexham, who closed out the season with five straight wins, including clean sheets against Forest Green Rovers and Crewe Alexandra.
In our view, Parkinson should start that trio against Wycombe, although Brunt, Boyle and Dobson will be breathing down their necks for a starting place.
Parkinson’s midfield conundrum
Wrexham are arguably the most stacked for quality options in central midfield.
The return of James Jones from injury and Jordan Davies emerging from nowhere in pre-season are two players vying for a spot in the starting XI.
Sadly, they also have several outstanding players to compete against, with George Evans, Dobson, Andy Cannon, Elliot Lee and James McClean all battling it out for one of the three slots.
It means Parkinson is presented with a selection headache when picking his first eleven, although he did have success with Evans partnering Cannon and Lee in midfield last term, so he may stick to what he knows and slowly introduce the others.