Manchester United took on Wrexham on Tuesday in the latest game of their pre-season tour.
It was a much-changed United side, mainly made up of under-23s players, as well as veteran defender Jonny Evans at the back, as manager Erik Ten Hag attempts to get game time into the legs of as many players as possible on the summer tour.
The game brought the sides to sunny San Diego in California, with Wrexham's celebrity owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds in attendance - and they were left frustrated when Wrexham's star striker Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung after a nasty collision with United keeper Nathan Bishop.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson was livid at full-time, and told Bishop to "steer clear" of his team.
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Wrexham unhappy with collision in Manchester United clash
The story of Wrexham's rise under their Hollywood ownership has captivated football fans far and wide, and a crucial facet of their on-field success last season was the goalscoring of striker Paul Mullin.
Mullin - who also made headlines last year for wearing boots inscribed with "Fuck the Tories" - scored 38 goals in 46 National League games last season, as Wrexham were promoted to the Football League.
He was left battered and bruised on Tuesday, however, as a nasty collision with Manchester United's young goalkeeper Nathan Bishop gave him a serious injury, as he suffered a punctured lung.
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Speaking after the game, Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson was furious at the perceived recklessness of Bishop's tackle, as the keeper came charging out of his goal only to crash into Mullin at speed.
Just catching up on this. Wrexham’s Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung after an early clash with Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop in their friendly yesterday.
Fair to say Phil Parkinson wasn’t happy. pic.twitter.com/jVKBEvoDHI— HLTCO (@HLTCO) July 26, 2023
Parkinson was livid, saying:
I'm fuming about it, to be honest with you. I thought it was a clumsy, reckless challenge - in a pre-season game.
I can't say any more on it - I'm not happy with it at all.
I haven't seen the goalie, and it's probably best for him to steer clear of us for the time being, because we're not very happy with him.
There was a lengthy delay as Mullin was assisted off the pitch. His teammates would go on to claim a memorable 3-1 win over the United academy side, with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney watching on.
Reynolds took to Twitter post-match to praise Mullin and 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. pic.twitter.com/CclAD42nFw
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) July 26, 2023
With the furore surrounding the clumsy tackle, United 'keeper Nathan Bishop was compelled to apologise for the injury on Twitter after the game's conclusion.
Bishop said, "Just wanted to share my sincerest apologies to @PMullin7. A complete misjudgement and a genuine accident with 0 malicious intent at all! Wishing you the speediest recovery and hope to see you back scoring goals as soon as possible!"
Just wanted to share my sincerest apologies to @PMullin7 A complete misjudgement and a genuine accident with 0 malicious intent at all!
Wishing you the speediest recovery and hope to see you back scoring goals as soon as possible!— nath (@natthb13) July 26, 2023
Manchester United continue their pre-season campaign on Wednesday night when they face Real Madrid.
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