Wrexham announced the departure of Luke Young following their promotion to League One and he’s now penned a heartfelt message to his teammates.
Loyalty in football is rare these days. Once the cash is flashed, a player’s head is usually turned.
In the case of former Wrexham captain Luke Young, money was never the motivation but success was, ending his six-year stay at the Racecourse Ground with a second consecutive promotion under his belt.
Young will depart the club officially when his contract expires at the end of June and life after leaving Wales is looking bright for the 31-year-old, who amassed over 250 appearances for the Reds.
Phil Parkinson revealed that several managers have been in contact to ask about the departing players as people, with Ben Tozer, Aaron Hayden and Jordan Tunnicliffe among the nine names let go by the club.
The departure of Young, though, given he was the longest-serving player in the current squad was the one that hurt the most and the midfield maestro has since penned a message to his teammates.
Luke Young issues a heartfelt message after leaving Wrexham
Young played a prominent role in the club’s most recent successful period, captaining the side through two promotions.
He will go down in the history books as the first player to do so and has now summed up his time with an emotional message.
Speaking to The Leader, he thanked his teammates for his successful six years, claiming he’s made ‘friends for life’ in the Wrexham dressing room.
He said: “It is never nice to leave and it is never nice to end, especially with the length of time I have been at Wrexham and the relationships that I have built up with not only staff but a lot of players in that dressing room in the six years.
“I will certainly have friends for life who I will stay in touch with.
“It was nice to get promoted and then you go away with the lads and enjoy it one last time for myself.
“There is no better way of leaving a football club than getting promoted and enjoying it with them for the few days we were in Las Vegas.”
What’s next for Luke Young
Despite starting just 12 times in League Two last term, Young should be inundated with offers from clubs in the fourth tier or the National League.
After all, there aren’t many players in the EFL – or in world football – who can say they’ve captained their side to consecutive promotions.
A calming influence in the dressing room and on the pitch, Young’s presence in the middle of the park, including his passing range, organisational skills and tough tackling ability would all be useful to most sides at this level.
With Wrexham making the jump to League One, Parkinson accepted he couldn’t play the midfielder as much as he would have liked, which is why he wants him to play a starring role elsewhere.
Parkinson thinks that is the least he deserves after his incredible six years of service to Wrexham.
It will be interesting to see which club snaps him up.
