Wrexham fans will be so thrilled to learn what Wayne Rooney thinks about one of their striker targets.
The Red Dragons transfer plan going into the winter window is very clear.
Wrexham want to sign a centre-forward amid a long-term injury to Jack Marriott and Paul Mullin scoring just once in 16 League One games.
TWI exclusively revealed last month that Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are eyeing new Wrexham relationships with Premier League and Championship clubs.
The purpose of these relationships is to sign high-level players on loan to aid their promotion push and continued assent up the EFL ladder.
Then, on Thursday, we spoke to transfer expert Graeme Bailey who told us that Wrexham want Manchester United forward Ethan Wheatley on loan for the second half of this season.
Stockport County are also interested and the Red Devils’ stance on a temporary move for the 18-year-old is still not fully clear.
But if he does move, The Wrexham Insider have now picked out three reasons fans should be excited by Wheatley.
Wayne Rooney approves of Wrexham transfer target Ethan Wheatley
Wheatley is a Stockport native and has spent all of his career to date with Manchester United.
As a result, he no doubt watched Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney, who is their all-time record goalscorer, very closely growing up.
It has previously been revealed that the current Plymouth Argyle manager is a fan of the Wrexham target.
According to the Manchester Evening News, Rooney watched on from the stands when Wheatley scored a brace against Manchester City’s youth side and was left impressed by the goals.
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Ethan Wheatley made Manchester United history and did something amazing vs Norwich City
Wheatley’s goal return at youth level is pretty staggering, he has scored 14 and assisted two in 28 at U18 level and nine in 20 for Man Utd’s U21 side.
He has so far made seven Premier League 2 appearances in 2024/25, one of which came against Norwich City on September 27th.
The teenager was only on the pitch for 45 minutes but managed to score a hat-trick against the Canaries – a remarkable feet and hopefully a sign of things to come if Wrexhm are able to secure his signature.
After becoming one of United’s best players at youth level, Wheatley made his senior debut in a 4-2 win versus Sheffield United on April 24th, 2024.
Following his cameo, the Wrexham-linked centre-forward became the 250th Manchester United academy graduate to debut for the first-team.
On that incredible milestone, he said: “It’s a great club with a massive history, especially in the academy. It’s an honour to make my debut and that number – 250. That’s a little bit extra.”