Wrexham’s promotion hopes have been given a timely boost by first-choice goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo being given the green light to step up his rehab after receiving positive scan results.
The 23-year-old suffered a broken wrist in the 1-0 win over Mansfield Town in early November. His replacement Callum Burton was then ruled out for the season with a torn thigh muscle. This left only veteran Mark Howard fit among the club’s goalkeepers with Luke McNicholas, on loan at Rochdale in the National League, having been out with a serious groin injury since October.
Had the specialist felt that Okonkwo’s injury was not healing after the cast was taken off on Wednesday night, Wrexham would have had to move into the loan market in January.
However, manager Phil Parkinson said: “The appointment went well and the bone is healing well. There is restricted movement in his wrist, as you’d expect from being in a cast for a while. But Arthur has the green light to start pushing ahead.”
Asked if this meant the former Arsenal goalkeeper may return early in the New Year, Parkinson replied: “I think so, yes. We have to remember that, as much as he’s been out on the training pitch working on his foot movement and his ball striking, we now have to get him back into his handling.”
There was further good news over McNicholas’s injury, with his recovery also firmly on course following a scan earlier this week.
Parkinson met with director Shaun Harvey and other club officials on Monday to discuss plans for the upcoming January window. Asked whether he might still look to bring in goalkeeping cover despite the good news over Okonkwo and McNicholas, the Wrexham manager said: “We have been waiting on this week with the appointments for Luke and Arthur.
“We had a chat Monday and decided we’d see how they both went and then we will have a further chat between Christmas and New Year.”
Wrexham return to action against Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
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