James McClean has been superb for Wrexham but is now coming toward the end of his career and will need replacing.
Wrexham have made a habit of signing quality players who have previously shone at a much higher level since their new owners took charge.
Striking duo Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer both linked up with the Red Dragons in the National League despite previously impressing at a League One level.
It has been a similar story with several other players over the last few years including former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster, Elliot Lee and James McClean.
McClean made over 150 Premier League appearances throughout his career and 221 in the second tier of English football.
However, the left-back joined Wrexham from Wigan Athletic in 2023 when the club were still plying their trade in League Two.
Since moving to the Racecourse Ground, McClean has earned high praise from Foster, who described him as the hardest-working professional he has ever seen.
So far, the Irishman has made 59 appearances for the Red Dragons in all competitions, scoring six goals and providing 14 assists.
Tom Kelly shines for Wrexham in FA Youth Cup
However, McClean is now 35 years of age and coming toward the end of his playing career.
As a result, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson will now need to start thinking about replacing the wing-back in the near future.
And on Tuesday evening, Parkinson may now have found the ideal replacement for the former Wigan man.
Wrexham faced off with Morecambe in the FA Youth Cup on October 29th and one player stoodout across the tie.
The match went into extra time after neither side could find an opener inside the 90 minutes.
However, 16-year-old left-back Tom Kelly stepped up and scored a winner to send his side into the next round of the competition.
Tom Kelly and Sebastian Revan are Wrexham future
McClean remains under contract at Wrexham until 2026 and given his age, he is likely to leave the club when that deal expires.
Even before then though, it would not be surprising to see McClean’s minutes reduced next term when he will be 36 years of age.
The club’s left-back position is in very safe hands going forward, however, thanks to Kelly and Sebastian Revan.
Revan is just 21 years of age and has already impressed in his limited outings since moving to Wrexham over the summer.
And he is sure to be competing with Kelly for a starting berth for many years to come, leaving Parkinson with one less potential transfer problem to deal with down the line.
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