Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson hits out at Man United youngster after Paul Mullin left with punctured lung
Wrexham's star striker Paul Mullin needed oxygen as he was injured by an ugly challenge by Man Utd goalkeeper Nathan Bishop which saw him then booed by angry fans and criticised by Phil Parkinson.
Manchester United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop felt the wrath of Wrexham’s American fans and manager Phil Parkinson after he injured Paul Mullin in their pre-season friendly in San Diego. Mullin required oxygen on the pitch and was taken straight to hospital after colliding with the 23-year-old stopper. It was later revealed by manager Parkinson he suffered a small puncture to his lung.
After a bright start, Mullin was baring down on goal chasing a loose ball when Bishop came rushing out of his goal. The United goalkeeper completely mistimed his efforts to intercept and instead smashed into Mullin at full force.
He was shown a yellow card but commentators admitted he would likely have been lucky to avoid a straight red if it was a competitive game. Parkinson agreed and was critical of Bishop's decision to make the challenge.
“I mean, listen, Mulls has got a small puncture in his lung, he’s in hospital at the moment," Parkinson said at full-time.
“But it’s a clumsy challenge from the goalkeeper and, for me, there’s no need to make it. It’s a straight red. The reason it’s a straight red, and even if the ref said to me that maybe there’s a covering defender, it’s a dangerous challenge.
“If you add those two situations up, he should’ve been off the pitch. Listen, it’s a massive blow for us to lose Paul. He’s an outstanding player.”
Bishop completely mistimed his challenge on Mullin (Image: ESPN) |
There were worrying moments as Mullin was down in a heap surrounded by medical personnel from both clubs and was given oxygen on the pitch after a huge hit to his rib area. After being down for several minutes, he was eventually able to walk off under his own power with the help of medical staff, albeit in obvious discomfort.
After Mullin was replaced, fans made their feelings known towards Bishop. He was booed loudly whenever he touched the ball with the San Diego crowd showing their love towards Mullin and Wrexham after their fairytale rise.
“It’s reckless, its dangerous, doesn’t get anywhere near the ball,” commentator Steward Robson on ESPN said as he watched replays of the ugly challenge from Bishop. Bishop was replaced by Radek Vitek as one of multiple half-time changes from both sides.
Despite losing their top goalscorer, Wrexham took the lead soon after via Elliot Lee and doubled their advantage through Aaron Hayden. Marc Jurado halved the deficit in first-half stoppage time but Sam Dalby sealed a 3-1 win for Wrexham after Dan Gore received a harsh red card shortly after the break.
Mullin was left in a heap by the challenge (Image: Getty) |
Injury to top goalscorer Mullin is a nightmare for Wrexham on the eve of their return to the Football League after 15 years away. He has been the poster boy of their rise under co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who will be anxiously waiting to discover how long he will be out.
He will miss the final game of Wrexham’s tour against Philadelphia Union II on Friday night. Just this week, Mullin hailed the experience he’s had in the U.S. and the support Wrexham has received.
After scoring in their 4-0 win over LA Galaxy II last week, he told Wrexham’s YouTube channel: “It’s lovely to score stateside. I got loads of support online and there really is an outlet of American fans that support me now and the club. And [to] score here – to say that you scored in LA is obviously quite nice.
"It doesn’t particularly matter how we got on here, but for us at half-time we wanted to go out and win the game and enjoy the night."