'Friends for life' - Wrexham star Luke Young reflects on six-year spell in North Wales after being released by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-owned club

After 251 appearances, 23 goals, and two promotions, Wrexham revealed the midfielder's contract would not be renewed earlier this month. That ended a six-season stint with the Red Dragons and while it was difficult to take, the 31-year-old said there were no hard feelings and that he's made "friends for life".

He told The Leader: "I have been fortunate enough to be a regular starter throughout my career. Certainly here, the amount of managers that have come and gone but I have still been that regular feature in the side up until this season. It is nice when you get recognised for who you are and what you are as a player and a person. No one has any given right to play and that was my case as well, even when I got named captain. It was no free-ticket or no walk into the team, I had to work as hard as everybody else to get in the team and stay there. I never too anything for granted. The manager is the one that picks the team and more often than not I was in it which probably speaks a bit about what I am like as a player and a person."

The former Torquay United man added: "It is never nice to leave and it is never nice to end, especially with the length of time I have been at Wrexham and the relationships that I have built up with not only staff but a lot of players in that dressing room in the six years. I will certainly have friends for life who I will stay in touch with. It was nice to get promoted and then you go away with the lads and enjoy it one last time for myself. There is no better way of leaving a football club than getting promoted and enjoy it with them for the few days we were in Las Vegas."

Young played a big role in ending Wrexham's 15-year stay outside the English Football League by winning the National League in 2023 and contributed to their promotion to League One this term, albeit to a lesser extent. While he has been released, the former Plymouth Argyle man may go down as a Wrexham legend.

While Wrexham prepare for life in League One, which includes a pre-season tour to North America where they will face Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Vancouver Whitecaps, Young will now begin the search for a new club.