(Reuters) – Wrexham striker Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung in a 3-1 pre-season friendly win over Manchester United in San Diego, California, on Tuesday after a collision with the opposition’s goalkeeper, manager Phil Parkinson said.
Mullin, who was Wrexham’s leading scorer last season with 46 goals in all competitions, collided with United’s Nathan Bishop when the goalkeeper rushed out to stop a long ball.
Mullin stayed down and was attended to by physios who gave him oxygen while a stretcher was also brought out. However, the 28-year-old was able to walk off the pitch before he was replaced.
Parkinson later revealed Mullin had punctured his lung while Wrexham’s owner and Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds took to messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to wish him a speedy recovery.
“Paul Mullin puts his last drop of blood into everything he does. The entire Wrexham AFC community is pulling for a speedy recovery,” Reynolds said in a post.
Elliott Lee, Aaron Hayden and Sam Dalby scored for Wrexham while Marc Jurado scored for United, who fielded a second-string side filled with youngsters.
Wrexham gained worldwide recognition last season when the Welsh club secured a fairytale return to the English Football League after a 15-year absence.
The club’s rise in popularity has seen them play pre-season friendlies with top-flight Premier League teams this month. They played Chelsea last week but lost 5-0.
Wrexham begin their League Two campaign at home against MK Dons on Aug. 5.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
