‘It’s a different level’ - Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson says international call-ups for James McClean and Jacob Mendy demonstrate club’s 'profile'

Wrexham will miss the services of Mendy and McClean against Accrington Stanley in League Two as the players have been called up by Gambia and the Republic of Ireland, respectively. While McClean was set to retire from international football against New Zealand on November 21, injuries to Will Smallbone and Festy Ebosele forced manager Stephen Kenny to call him up for the weekend's Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands as well.

The international call-ups have been well welcomed by Parkinson as, despite losing key players, he believes they reinstate the quality his side have despite plying their trade in League Two.

Speaking to BBC Sport Wales he said: "It just shows that playing for Wrexham you're getting recognition, irrespective of being in League Two. The profile of the club, it's kind of a different level for a normal League Two club because of the reasons that everybody knows."

Mendy was an unused substitute during Gambia's 3-2 loss to Burundi, but Parkinson hopes that he will get some minutes in the next match against Ivory Coast on Sunday to prove his mettle on the international stage.

"The Gambian manager has been monitoring him, closely," Parkinson said. "There's other players in his position and he's got competition as you'd expect. But he's done well to get in there. Obviously, he wants to have some minutes to show what he can do. I'd like to see him get some game time and not have a trip where he goes there and is just a squad player. Obviously we've got a lot of belief in Jacob and we think he's a really good player."

Parkinson will have to trust his squad depth against Accrington on Saturday as McClean and Mendy are away with their respective national teams. On the other hand, McClean will be itching to get a run against the Dutch on Saturday. It could end up being his final competitive match for Ireland before calling curtains on his international career against the Kiwis next Tuesday.