In a pre-season clash between Manchester United and Wrexham, tensions ran high as Wrexham star Paul Mullin suffered a punctured lung due to a vicious challenge from Red Devils goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.
The incident occurred in the 12th minute of the game when Bishop barged into Mullin, who was through on goal, leaving him flattened and in need of oxygen.
He was swiftly taken to the hospital, prompting Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson to unleash scathing remarks on Bishop, who received only a yellow card for the challenge.
Parkinson expressed his frustration, stating that the challenge was clumsy and reckless, demanding it should have been a straight red card. He emphasized the importance of player safety and called Mullin their talisman, praising the team’s resilience in response to the unfortunate incident.
United’s under-21 manager, Travis Binnion, tried to defend Bishop, describing it as a part of the game with no malicious intent. However, the Wrexham crowd’s continuous booing and Parkinson’s remarks added fuel to the fire. Bishop later tweeted an apology to Mullin, assuring it was an honest mistake with no harmful intentions.
Despite the incident, Manchester United was quick to support their young goalkeeper, believing it was an innocent error, and expressed disappointment with Parkinson’s remarks.
Meanwhile, Mullin’s teammate, Ben Tozer, revealed that the forward is unlikely to return with the team due to the severity of the injury, suggesting he might miss the start of the season.
In an unexpected turn of events, Manchester United’s second string also faced trouble when their captain, Dan Gore, received a red card for a reckless challenge on Andy Cannon just two minutes into the second half.
This added to the disappointment of the San Diego crowd, who had high expectations of seeing the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes in action.
The fixture’s timing raised questions, as fans rushed to buy tickets expecting to witness their favorite stars, only to find out that most of the first team would be playing against Real Madrid the following day in Houston. This left the crowd with an under-21 team facing a strong Wrexham side instead.
The match saw Wrexham take the lead with goals from Elliot Lee and Max Cleworth, while United managed to pull one back through Marc Jurado’s volley finish. However, Wrexham’s Sam Malby sealed the deal with a diving header in the 69th minute.
Overall, the pre-season encounter proved far from friendly, marred by controversial challenges and unexpected team line-ups.