Two players in Wrexham’s squad are ‘irreplaceable’ to Phil Parkinson.
Wrexham have built a squad that is brimming with talent all over the pitch.
The Reds knew they had to invest heavily in the transfer window after being promoted from the National League, and did so by bringing in experienced Premier League players Steven Fletcher and James McClean, Arthur Okonkwo on loan from Arsenal and defensive midfielder George Evans.
Phil Parkinson was given the funds to build on the foundations of an already talented squad.
As a result, several players are irreplaceable to Parkinson and while many will put Paul Mullin at the front of that list, two other stars have been picked out for praise.
George Evans and Tom O’Connor are ‘irreplaceable’ to Wrexham
Although Mullin is closing in on 100 goals at Wrexham, other players in the squad are just as important in their pursuit of promotion.
Speaking on the Rob Ryan Red podcast, Rich Fay believes that Evans and Tom O’Connor are ‘irreplaceable’ to Wrexham and having neither in the starting XI is detrimental to the Reds.
“For me, there’s always been the fact that Evans and O’Connor have been missing,” Rich said. “We’ve said that they just control the team so well and without them, you lose something that is really irreplaceable. It’s bad enough not having one of them but not having both just kills you.
Rich also reserved special praise for O’Connor, who returned to the starting XI for the first time since injury, providing the assist for Andy Cannon‘s second goal.
He added: “O’Connor’s best position will still be as a centre-back going forward but just having him there and around, he was just so calming, the pass for Cannon’s second goal was so perfectly weighted. It looked so easy, but trust me it’s far easier than done.”
Evans and O’Connor are so important to Wrexham
Evans is currently recovering from a glute injury and Parkinson has missed his presence in the front of the defence.
The Manchester City academy graduate is a midfield sweeper, who retrieves possession for his side and utilises his physicality to bully the opposition.
The 29-year-old has been a huge miss to Wrexham, and luckily, that blow has been softened by the return of O’Connor.
Playing as a left centre-back or central midfielder, O’Connor was so important in the first half of the season, and since returning to the field, Parkinson now has a versatile and quality operator to pick.
By grabbing an assist and putting in a commanding display against Grimsby, the 24-year-old deserves to keep his place in midfield, although having McClean available for selection does put his place in the side at risk.
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