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Topics: Wrexham, League Two, League One, Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, Football
Ryan Smart
Topics: Wrexham, League Two, League One, Rob McElhenney, Ryan Reynolds, Football
The first Wrexham player has spoken out after the club released eight players following the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.
The Red Dragons announced their retained list on Friday morning, with captain Luke Young and defender Ben Tozer among the high-profile departures once their contracts expire next month.
Callum McFadzean, Aaron Hayden and Jordan Tunnicliffe are the other players to not have their contracts renewed after playing a role in the League Two promotion-winning campaign.
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Veteran goalkeeper Rob Lainton is also being released, as well as youngsters Owen Cushion and Dan Davies.
Steven Fletcher, meanwhile, has been offered a new contract at the club, as well as long-serving goalkeeper Mark Howard. As it stands, Howard will be one of only two senior goalkeepers on the books at the start of pre-season if he signs a new deal.
The retained list was announced at the same time as Wrexham's squad is celebrating their promotion success in Las Vegas.
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And while players will likely have known about their releases before the trip - retained lists are normally finalised quickly at the end of the season - many of the current squad will essentially see it as a farewell to a few team-mates.
And taking to Twitter, midfielder Jordan Davies, who joined the Red Dragons from Brighton as a free agent in 2020, has paid tribute to captain Young after his release was announced.
He wrote: "Nothing short of LEGEND. What a man."
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Young joined Wrexham on a free transfer from Torquay in the summer of 2018, and quickly became a fan favourite at the Racecourse Ground.
The now 31-year-old scored 12 goals in the 2020/21 season, and played in 38 games last season as Wrexham earned promotion back to the EFL.
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This term, he made 25 appearances, but struggled for regular time after suffering an injury following Wrexham's 5-0 defeat at Stockport in September.
He did play 90 minutes in the final two games of the campaign, though, including the final-day 2-1 win over League Two winners Stockport.