Phil Parkinson could now finally see the best of a player who has struggled during his time in a Wrexham shirt.
Wrexham kicked off their pre-season preparations with a thumping 5-1 victory over Hanley Town and will now fly to the United States for their Wrex Coast tour.
For many players in Phil Parkinson’s first-team squad, coming up against Premier League opposition in Bournemouth and Chelsea is a chance to impress.
With Paul Mullin set to miss the start of the campaign, Jack Marriott could step up after struggling since his February arrival, while hometown boy Jordan Davies showcased his worth with a brace against Hanley.
Although Wrexham have made five new signings, including Arthur Okonkwo and George Dobson, several fringe players will be using pre-season as a tool to become key members of the squad come August, and none more so than Luke Bolton.
Luke Bolton’s time at Wrexham assessed
Bolton arrived at Wrexham on transfer deadline day in February, midway through their League Two campaign.
A product of Manchester City’s academy, who has played alongside the likes of Jadon Sancho, Brahim Diaz and Phil Foden in the youth set-up, Bolton was expected to impress at the Racecourse Ground.
The 24-year-old was one of Salford City’s most influential players in 2023/24, assisting five times down the right flank in 20 matches.
Many expected Bolton to carry that momentum across to Wrexham by dislodging Ryan Barnett from the right wing-back role.
Unfortunately, Barnett proved to be somewhat of an immovable object, who restricted his teammate to just five starts in his four months at the club.
That will have only fuelled the Englishman to perform better and having been labelled ‘outstanding’ by Parkinson, it’s clear that Wrexham see him as a vital part of their plans in League One.
Why Luke Bolton can impress at Wrexham in League One
Pre-season will play a key factor in giving Bolton the best chance to be selected ahead of his teammate and he’s using it as an opportunity to further impress Parkinson.
Speaking to The Leader, he said: “I think it is a bit different. You are able to make more of a mark. The gaffer can see you in non-competitive games in pre-season and can test you.”
When Bolton arrived at Wrexham, the Reds were cantering towards promotion and battling against Barnett for a regular starting spot was always going to be a tough test.
Although the pacey wing-back showed glimpses of his talent, providing the assist for Elliot Lee in the late victory over Sutton United, the former Luton defender was unable to deliver those performances consistently.
It is understandable why he didn’t hit the ground running at Wrexham as joining midway through the season and acclimatizing to new surroundings is always tough.
However, with a full pre-season under his belt, as Bolton said, Parkinson can now see where his strengths lie in non-competitive games and perhaps experiment.
That plays into the hands of the talented wing-back, who has proven how much of an invaluable asset he can be, previously recording six goals and seven assists for Salford in the 2022/23 campaign.