Paul Mullin 'falling out' claims emerge after Wrexham team-mate's dad dug out Ryan Reynolds

Wrexham star Paul Mullin is facing an uncertain future at the club amid rumours of a falling out with manager Phil Parkinson.

The striker signed for the Welsh team in July 2021 and has notched up an impressive tally of 110 goals, playing a pivotal role in their successive promotions from the National League and League Two. Mullin has won over the fans and developed a strong rapport with Wrexham's A-list owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney during the last few years.

Despite being fit, the 30-year-old has been conspicuously absent from the Red Dragons' squad for seven of their past eight fixtures, having scored just three times across all competitions this term. Following the January transfer window acquisitions of Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez, both Mullin and fellow striker Ollie Palmer have seen their positions in the squad diminish, with Steven Fletcher and Jack Marriott now the preferred substitutes.

Palmer's father, Andy, expressed his disapproval of the situation in a now-removed post on X, mockingly commenting: "They were a good buy." His remarks came as Reading's Smith has only bagged two goals, while former Burnley player Rodriguez is still to score.

Rumours suggest that a rift between Mullin and Parkinson could be behind the Scouser's lack of game time. This topic was brought up by ex-Wales and Norwich forward Iwan Roberts during the BBC's Feast of Football podcast.

"You get the feeling, and you hear little rumours that there's been a falling out," he said. "Let's be honest, he's only got three goals himself this season. It's the same with Ollie Palmer and he's got three goals in 27 appearances.

"It's not as if they were prolific before they bought Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez into the club. I get it because he (Mullin) has been the main man for the last three years. He's been their best player and their main goal scorer.

"The amount of goals he's got is ridiculous, but he now finds himself maybe on the downward spiral of his career at the club and he's down the pecking order."

Roberts added: "I just get the feeling that something must have happened for him not to be included in the match day squad. Whether there's been a falling out or disagreement, we don't know. It's a sad situation."

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Mullin has risen to fame since joining Wrexham, particularly thanks to his prominent role in the popular documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. His status extended to the silver screen when he had a cameo in last year's blockbuster Deadpool and Wolverine movie, portraying Welshpool, after being cast by Reynolds.

However, he has faced setbacks due to a punctured lung sustained during a friendly against Manchester United in August 2023. Following this incident, Mullin had surgery on his back last summer to correct a historic lower-back/hamstring condition.

Discussing Mullin and Palmer's ongoing exclusion from the squad last week, Parkinson said: "We've got a lot of strikers and it is difficult to keep everybody involved. We'll keep assessing it and looking at training all the time, and pick the team and the bench accordingly."

Wrexham currently sit third in League One and are contending for another promotion to the Championship, even after suffering a 2-0 loss at Reading on Tuesday evening. The North Wales side are gearing up for a pivotal encounter against second-placed Wycombe on Saturday afternoon, which could be decisive in their quest for automatic promotion.