What Wrexham AFC manager Phil Parkinson has said to Paul Mullin after Wigan Athletic move | OneFootball

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has reflected on Paul Mullin’s loan move to Wigan.

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has reiterated the need for Paul Mullin to have consistent game time after he completed a loan move to Wigan Athletic on Monday.

The frontman was a goalscoring machine in each of the three previous seasons, scooping Top Goalscorer and Player of the Season awards as the Red Dragons earned sensational back-to-back promotions from the National League into League One.

However, it wasn’t plain sailing for Mullin in the third tier season, with the 30-year-old undergoing spinal surgery in the summer, which followed a steep reduction in playing time under Phil Parkinson.

Mullin went on to score just five times last term, with just three in the league, and making only nine starts in total.

As promotion to the Championship was confirmed, the Welsh outfit have felt that Mullin isn’t quite ready for the step-up in class, and want to see him prove his credentials in League One with more regular first-team minutes.

As Mullin’s move to Wigan was confirmed, Wrexham boss Parkinson clarified why he has made a brief exit from the club.

Phil Parkinson admits Paul Mullin loan exit was because of a lack of game time

With the news confirmed on Wrexham’s club website, manager Phil Parkinson commented on Paul Mullin’s departure, highlighting the reason for sanctioning this switch.

Parkinson said: I’d like to wish Paul all the best for his loan move.

“It’s a good opportunity for him to get back to playing regular first-team football and I’m sure he’s going to be a great signing for Wigan Athletic.”

Paul Mullin exit was inevitable due to Wrexham transfer policy

It’s hardly surprising to see Paul Mullin depart Wrexham, with the forward having a poor last campaign by his standards and being resorted to making appearances from off the substitutes' bench due to untimely surgery.

Mullin needed to display another season of emphatic goalscoring to show that he was worth a punt in the Championship, but such an inconsistent period of playing time and lack of goals has led Wrexham to make this decision.

With Mullin failing to play above the third tier in his career, he isn’t exactly the profile of player the Welsh club are after, with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney setting their sights on recruiting players with significant Championship experience to aid their return, previously touted to sign the likes of Tom Cairney, Jamie Vardy and Patrick Bamford, although club director Humphrey Ker quashed those rumours.

Mullin doesn’t quite fit that mold, unfortunately, but it doesn’t mean his Wrexham career is done and dusted just yet.

Depending if Wrexham remain in the Championship and whether Mullin can get back on the goalscoring trail with the Latics, there may be an opportunity next season for him to re-enter the first-team picture and transition his clinical nature into the second tier, which could hopefully be the catalyst for a promotion push to the Premier League.

However, Wrexham have recently completed the signing of Ryan Hardie from Plymouth Argyle, a deal which only pushed Mullin further down the pecking order in North Wales.

The Liverpudlian will now be looking to rebuild his stock and find that goalscoring touch once again at Wigan, regardless of what may happen with his long-term Wrexham future.