Wrexham‘s return to League One has been glorious, courtesy of a strong start. The Red Dragons got pushed to the second spot only after settling for a draw against Leyton Orient in their last game. Anyhow, Phil Parkinson’s side has now been hit with a hollow in its defensive core. During the Leyton Orient game, Wrexham’s 22-year-old star defender Max Cleworth was called back at halftime because of an ankle injury. Fueling manager Parkinson’s woes, the Dragons camp is unsure when Cleworth could resume action.

As Phil Parkinson puts it, Cleworth took a major knock to his ankle ligaments. The Welsh club awaits further reports and medical examinations on the English defender. “Max has damaged his ankle ligaments, the extent of which we don’t know but the assessment as he’s hobbled off… it didn’t look good,” said Phil Parkinson, as compiled by The Wrexham Insider.

Parkinson is well aware that football can be bitter, as injuries are a constant in the sport. Yet, he hinted that it is unwise for Wrexham to miss Cleworth’s services for long. “Maxi’s done brilliant and we hope it’s not too long, but injuries happen in football and you’ve got to deal with it,” Phil Parkinson added.

Wrexham next plays Stevenage and there’s a snowball’s chance in hell for Max Cleworth to feature in that game. Only upcoming medical reports will determine when the 22-year-old prodigy is fit to take the pitch again. Until then, who could compensate for Cleworth’s absence in Wrexham? We have you covered.

Phil Parkinson has a set of alternatives to make up for Cleworth’s absence in Wrexham

An injury to a major player is the last thing any team would want. But, teams could let out a breather and tread lightly when their squad is immensely deep. We have seen that in Wrexham’s case when Paul Mullin was dealing with post-surgery recovery. Now also, the Welsh side has many options to choose from, as Max Cleworth’s ligament woe persists.

“We’ve got Dan Scarr, who came on and I thought he was excellent in the short period of time, we’ve got Brunty (Lewis Brunt), we’ve got Boyley (William Boyle), George Evans can play there, so we’ve got plenty of options,” Phil Parkinson added, referring to Max Cleworth’s position.

Dan Scarr notably came off to replace Max Cleworth in the Leyton Orient tie. So, he now has a clear chance to make his first League One start for Wrexham. Let’s see how things pan out for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s side without Cleworth.