Wrexham midfielder George Evans will next week undergo ankle surgery that is likely to keep him out for “months”, according to manager Phil Parkinson.
29-year-old Evans suffered ligament damage during Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Stevenage, forcing the former Millwall man out of the game just before half-time.
Scans have confirmed the bad news and Evans will undergo surgery next Tuesday.
“”All we can do is get the operation done as quickly as possible and give him the best rehab going forward,” says Parkinson.
“What we’ve been told is the surgeon, when he has a look inside, will understand the extent of the damage more so they don’t want to put a timescale on it until the operation. But it will be months with George.”
Wrexham have had better news on another player on the injured list. Max Cleworth, a key performer this season, suffered ankle ligament damage in last Saturday’s goalless draw at Leyton Orient.
Parkinson adds: “Max still has a lot of swelling in the joint. The medical department are just waiting for that to go down to see how stable the ankle is.
“He’s in a boot at the moment but it is certainly not as serious as the scan has shown George’s to be. That’s a relief, as it did look a great deal when it happened.
“The ankle swelled up quickly and that’s always a concern. But Max is young, a quick healer and, hopefully, we’ll have him back sooner rather than later.”
Unlike injured duo Evans and Cleworth, Paul Mullin will be in the squad to face Northampton Town on Saturday.
But Parkinson has preached patience with the club’s goalscoring talisman, as he continues to recover from back surgery during the summer.
“The overall picture with Mulls is that, nine games in, to have him back and looking good, we’d have taken that,” adds the 56-year-old about a striker who underwent a fitness test over a niggling calf problem before the Stevenage defeat.
“We have to accept he had major surgery on his back. He missed the whole of pre-season and the off-season work as well.
“So, sometimes we have to reflect as a staff – and Mulls as well, as he’s eager (to play) – he’s probably where we expected him to be. And that’s still feeling his way back into it.
“He has an opportunity to contribute tomorrow and then we have a couple of weeks where we can take a step back with Mulls and get him firing even better than he is at the moment.”
Wrexham, who are second in League One, return to action on Saturday with a home match against Northampton.
(Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
