Wrexham Welcome Four Players Back to Training, Two Given Extended Break

The Red Dragons begin their preseason schedule this weekend with their first match of the summer.

Arthur Okonkwo made his international debut last month. | Steve Christo/Corbis/Getty Images

Wrexham have welcomed four first-team players back to preseason training ahead of their opening friendly of the summer this weekend.

Phil Parkinson’s side travel to Poland to face Wisła Kraków on Saturday as part of the Polish club’s 120th-anniversary celebrations. The Red Dragons returned for initial fitness testing last week and are now stepping up preparations for their first preseason fixture.

The squad has been boosted by the return of Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, Danny Ward and Arthur Okonkwo after the quartet was granted an extended break following international duty. Moore, Broadhead and Ward were all part of the Wales squad that faced Romania and Ghana ahead of the World Cup, while Okonkwo made his senior international debut for Nigeria last month.

Their return means all four are in contention for playing time this weekend. Parkinson will still be without defenders Dom Hyam and Liberato Cacace, who have each been given an additional week off following their World Cup involvement. Hyam was an unused substitute as Scotland finished third in Group C, while Cacace started every match as New Zealand finished bottom of Group G.

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Wrexham Set to Give Young Players a Preseason Opportunity

Ashfield is expected to leave Wrexham this summer. | Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Wrexham have yet to make their first signing of the summer, leaving Parkinson ready to hand several academy players the chance to impress during the opening stages of preseason.

The Red Dragons are expected to rotate heavily across their first 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 expected to get the opportunity to showcase his talent in Poland this weekend, while Aaron James, Alex Moore and Rio Owen could also be handed valuable minutes.

“A few of the youngsters like Harry, Aaron and Alex have come back in great shape and want to make a mark with the group,” Parkinson told The Leader. “We want to give them some game time like we’ve done in the past in preseason, so that’s what we’ll be doing.

“That’s always good for them. Harry, in particular, had his loan spell and got a taste of first-team football, and we’ve had a number of clubs wanting to take him out on loan again, which is a credit to him.

“We were 50-50 with Harry in January because we knew he was good enough to make a contribution with us, but equally, we felt it was right for him to go and play.

“We’ll see how Harry and the others are looking in preseason. Aaron had a loan the year before, then he was set to go on loan again last season but got injured, so his development was curtailed a little.

“Alex and Rio were on loan in the Cymru Premier last season, so we want to welcome them back into the fold, see how they’ve developed physically over the summer, and give them some minutes during preseason.”

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