Ryan Reynolds shares the Wrexham pre-season idea Phil Parkinson quickly shot down
Wrexham have big plans for pre-season but Phil Parkinson actually shot down one of Ryan Reynolds’ ideas.
June is just days away and Wrexham’s pre-season preparations will start to ramp up.
The Championship fixtures will be released in June and Wrexham fans will be looking out for some big games in the second tier.
That was a mere pipe dream for many supporters just a few years ago but has become a reality under Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
The transfer window should heat up in June as well before Wrexham players return for pre-season preparations.
Wrexham are heading Down Under, travelling out to take on Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.
Phil Parkinson turned down one Ryan Reynolds idea
The game against Melbourne Victory will take place at Marvel Stadium, a perfect tie-in with Wrexham co-owner Reynolds.
Wrexham were rumoured to be heading to Auckland as well, with a friendly against Auckland FC in mind.
Owned by Bournemouth’s Bill Foley, Auckland FC were only established in 2024 but finished top of the A-League in the regular season.
Reynolds has now told Men In Blazers that he loved the idea of a friendly between Wrexham and Auckland FC, pitting a storied history against impressive newcomers.
However, Parkinson completely refused that idea, suggesting that Wrexham players must return to Wales rather than stay any longer in New Zealand.
“I really wanted us to play Auckland FC, which is a new team, and they finished first in their first year,” said Reynolds.
“I just liked the idea of the third-oldest football club playing one of the newest, but Phil was like ‘absolutely not, we’re getting these players back to Wales ASAP after Wellington’,” he added.
Shaun Harvey highlighted pre-season problems
Parkinson surely has 2023 in his mind here.
Wrexham headed off to the United States but played the final game against Philadelphia Union II on 28 July – just a week away from the start of the League One season.
Wrexham started the campaign slowly and seemed to have been affected by playing in the United States so close to the start of the season.
Shaun Harvey highlighted Wrexham’s mistake, with one home friendly taking place a week out from the season.
Parkinson certainly won’t have wanted to stay in New Zealand too close to the start of the season, and whilst Reynolds had a fine idea, it just wouldn’t have been ideal for Parkinson’s preparations.
