Wrexham victims of own success as Reynolds and McElhenney face new problem

03 January 2024 , 13:32

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Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have been in charge at the Racecourse Ground since 2021 (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are beginning to deal with a new reality at the club after midfielder Jacob Mendy was called up for international duty.

On Tuesday it was confirmed that Mendy was called up to the Gambia squad for their training camp ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations. The camp is taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia ahead of the tournament which is being hosted by the Ivory Coast later this month.

Gambia manager Thomas Saintfiet has called Mendy up to the squad ahead of the tournament, where a decision will then be made on whether the midfielder will be part of the full squad for the tournament. Gambia have a pre-tournament friendly against Morocco on Sunday, with the full squad for AFCON expected to be announced on January 9.

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As a result of Mendy's call-up, he will miss Wrexham's FA Cup third-round tie away at Shrewsbury Town this Sunday. If Mendy is included as part of Gambia's squad for AFCON, then he would miss further matches for his club.

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Wrexham are currently battling for automatic promotion in League Two, in what is the club's first season in the fourth tier of English football since promotion from the National League. The Red Dragons are currently third in the current standings and two points behind leaders Stockport County with a game in hand, but level on points with second-placed Mansfield Town having played one game more.

Should Mendy be called up to the Gambia squad, he could miss as many as six games for Wrexham over the next few weeks. The AFCON final is on February 11, and between now and then Phil Parkinson's team have six games across two competitions - there is also a League Two game against Sutton United on February 13, just two days after the AFCON final.

Mendy's call-up provides a new problem for Reynolds and McElhenney, but one that the duo will have to get used to if they want success at Wrexham. This is not the first time that Mendy has been selected to be part of the Gambia squad, with the midfielder on international duty for his country in November.

As Wrexham hope to move further up the football pyramid, there is an increased chance that some of their players will be called up to represent their respective countries, which will mean further unavailability from matchday squads. Clubs across the world will have some of their players heading to AFCON this month, while the Asian Cup is also taking place in Qatar a little over a year after the World Cup.

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Wrexham midfielder Jacob Mendy has been called up to the Gambia squad ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

After featuring for Gambia during the November international break, Mendy posted a message on social media expressing his delight. The midfielder, who joined Wrexham in 2022 from Boreham Wood, made his international debut against the Ivory Coast last year.

Mendy wrote on Twitter on November 22. "Still processing it! Just wanted to thank everyone for the support and the messages I’ve received and I’m still receiving. Really appreciate it. Hungry for more."

Mark Wakefield