ไทย
English
中國人
Wrexham have welcomed four first-team players back into preseason training ahead of the club's opening friendly of the summer this weekend.
Phil Parkinson's men travel to Poland to take on Wisła Kraków on Saturday as part of the Polish club's 120th-anniversary festivities. The Red Dragons returned for initial fitness assessments last week and are now ramping up preparations for their first preseason outing.
The squad has received a boost with the return of Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, Danny Ward and Arthur Okonkwo after the four were given an extended rest following international commitments. Moore, Broadhead and Ward all featured for the Wales squad in matches against Romania and Ghana ahead of the World Cup, while Okonkwo earned his senior international debut for Nigeria last month.
Their return puts all four in the frame for minutes this weekend. Parkinson will still be missing defenders Dom Hyam and Liberato Cacace, who have each been afforded an extra week off following their World Cup participation. Hyam was an unused substitute as Scotland finished third in Group C, while Cacace started every game as New Zealand ended bottom of Group G.
Wrexham Set to Give Young Players a Preseason Opportunity
Wrexham are yet to complete their first signing of the summer, leaving Parkinson poised to hand a number of academy players the chance to impress during the early stages of preseason.
The Red Dragons are expected to rotate heavily across their opening two friendlies against Wisła Kraków and Manchester United before the squad begins to take shape during the club's U.S. tour later this month.
Harry Ashfield is anticipated to get the chance to show what he can do in Poland this weekend, with Aaron James, Alex Moore and Rio Owen also potentially in line for valuable playing time.
"A few of the younger lads like Harry, Aaron and Alex have come back in excellent condition and are eager to make an impression within the group," Parkinson told The Leader. "We want to give them some game time as we've done previously in preseason, and that's exactly what we'll be doing.
"That's always beneficial for them. Harry, in particular, had his loan spell and got a real taste of first-team football, and we've had several clubs keen to take him on loan again, which speaks volumes about him.
"We were 50-50 with Harry in January because we knew he was capable of contributing here, but at the same time, we felt it was the right call to send him out to play.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
"We'll see how Harry and the others look during preseason. Aaron had a loan the year before, then he was set to go out on loan again last season but picked up an injury, so his development was held back somewhat.
"Alex and Rio were both on loan in the Cymru Premier last season, so we want to bring them back into the fold, see how they've grown physically over the summer, and give them some minutes throughout preseason."