Phil Parkinson has three senior goalkeepers at Wrexham

PHIL PARKINSON won’t be making many new signings this summer but the Reds’ boss revealed he definitely wants to bring in a “younger goalkeeper with potential”.

Former England international Ben Foster has put pen to paper on a new one-year contract and will compete with Rob Lainton and Mark Howard for a starting place when Wrexham kick-off the new League Two season with a home game against MK Dons on Saturday August 5.

All three boast a wealth of experience but Parkinson is mindful of the fact that they are all in the latter stages of their career, with Lainton the youngest at 33 years of age.

Goalkeeping coach Aidan Davison has already run the rule over two trialists in pre-season while a different pair of goalkeepers are training with Wrexham this week.

“We have got a couple of young goalkeepers on trial this week,” said Parkinson, who saw Foster, Howard and Lainton all play their part as Wrexham clinched the National League title following a record-breaking 2022-23 campaign.

“We are just looking for a younger goalkeeper to back-up what we have got.

“Aidan had two goalkeepers in last week and he is looking at another two this week so we will make a decision on that in the next week or so.

“We will definitely be adding a younger goalkeeper into the mix.

“The aim is to get someone with potential and Aidan has been working on that throughout the summer.

“He’s having the opportunity to look at four goalkeepers over the first two weeks of pre-season and then make a decision, whether it is one of those or it is someone from the outside.

“We have got three senior goalkeepers and a couple of scholars as well but we’d like one to bridge that age-gap and we are looking for the right one.”

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WHAT HAPPENED? Wrexham’s title-winning manger, Parkinson, is filled with excitement as his side prepares to face top-flight giants Manchester United and Chelsea in pre-season matches. Parkinson views these fixtures as valuable opportunities for Wrexham to test their mettle against elite competition and showcase their abilities.

WHAT THEY SAID: “Today was the important part. The lads are doing running now, and then going to the gym. It’s about making sure the work is right. It was an important day, and just as important as Chelsea will be and Manchester United,” said the Englishman ahead of their pre-season tour.

“It’s incredible for the club to have a tour of this magnitude, it’s important in many ways, especially commercially but we’re focused on working hard to come back in the best possible shape for the Milton Keynes game,” he added.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The prospect of facing prestigious clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea presents a significant milestone and an exceptional occasion for the club owned by Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Parkinson expressed his side’s excitement around these games. “We had some of the lads and coaching staff out in North Carolina for the TST 7-a-side tournament and they told us what the support was like out there. Everyone is very excited to get over there,” he added.