Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson sounds concerned about midfielder Matty James’ toe injury that could keep him out of game action for a while.
Apart from Wrexham retaining the 6th spot, everything else has changed for them after the Millwall game. While defeats at intermittent intervals are no strangers to the Reds, the loss against the Lions has been the most agonising one by far.
That’s because the 0-2 loss has affected Wrexham physically & emotionally in a literal sense. With questions aimed at Phil Parkinson’s lineup choice, injury announcements keep arriving one after the other.
Recently, Parky clarified about Nathan Broadhead’s absence due to his ongoing groin issues. If the forward’s doubtful FA Cup participation wasproblematic, the manager’s new injury update is even more grave.
This time, the player in question is Wrexham midfielder Matty James. Having been forced off in the 35th minute after taking a heavy challenge on his toe, James couldn’t continue. While George Dobson replaced him in the moment, the initial sensations felt concerning for Matty.
As quoted by Leader Live, Phil Parkinson isn’t very optimistic about Matty James’ injury. Parky gave his verdict saying: “Matty went in for a challenge and he felt he’d broke his toe so I pulled him off and it doesn’t look too good. We can just hope that is not as bad as we fear.”
Matty James’ injury history signals a major loss
When running at his best, Wrexham and the club fans are well aware of Matty James’ level. Having featured in every game this Championship season, James has been a pioneer for the club’s success in the defensive midfield role.
That’s not forgetting the mark his occasional bangers have left on the Wrexham faithful. However, his current successful spell belies a difficult past influenced by grave injuries.
To Wrexham’s aid, Matty James has barely missed games in his spell here. But as recent as his previous Bristol City tenure, James has been prone to back-to-back injury spells.
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Notably, Matty James missed 7 games from injury in the 2023/24 season with Bristol. His inavailability spells just go worse on looking back, with 12 and 13 games missed due to injuries in the 2022/23 and 2021/22 campaigns, respectively.
The reason behind such prolonged absences for Matty James has been his history of career-threatening injuries in his early days. Having missed football action for over 2 years, once for an ACL injury, followed by Achilles issues, James’ ability for faster recoveries has been hindered.
Factoring in Phil Parkinson’s concerning claim on his recent injury, James’ comeback remains unknown. The chances of him missing multiple weeks of action can’t be ruled out in this decisive phase of the season.
Wrexham face sudden injury crisis after Millwall clash
Millwall has emerged as one of the aggressive Championship teams this campaign. Who better to confirm this than Wrexham? Given that the Reds have experienced their wrath in both meetings this season.
In the inaugural faceoff in matchday 4, Wrexham returned from the Den with their starting keeper, Danny Ward, sidelined long-term. This time, they return with an even more depleted squad after the defeat.
The Millwall clash began with Nathan Broadhead and Zak Vyner already injured, and ended with adding 2 more fitness blows to the roster. Firstly, Matty James fractured his toe in the 35th minute, and then Liberato Cacace was forced off for discomfort in his knee.
Effectively, that makes it injuries for Wrexham in all attacking, midfield and defensive departments ahead of a crucial FA Cup tie against Ipswich.
While there’s a week-long time until Wrexham steps on the field again, it remains to be seen if they receive any injury boosts till then. Nevertheless, Phil Parkinson will need to make changes to his starting XI once again, with any injury improvement unlikely before the Bristol game.
Wrexham can expectably feature with the thinnest squad depth against Ipswich in the FA Cup game in a while. Hopefully, the club receives some recovery boosts until they face Bristol in the Championship.
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- ‘Values’ – Wrexham proved right for rejecting Sammie Szmodics transfer
- £7.5m Wrexham star’s FA Cup participation vs Ipswich Town thrown in doubt
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