STARS ABROAD: Harambee Stars defender ruled out of weekend game with injury

Harambee Stars defender Zak Vyner will be out for Wrexham’s game against Stoke City on Saturday, 18 April with a groin injury.

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Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson on Thursday confirmed the status surrounding the 28-year-old centre back, saying that he had sustained a groin injury, which still needed re-scanning later on Friday.

The specifics on when Vyner picked up the issue were not disclosed, but the latest update explains the defender’s absence in his team’s last two EFL Championship games.

"Zak Vyner has got to re-scan his groin tomorrow (Friday),” Parkinson told reporters on Thursday. “Zak won't make the weekend, 100%. He's feeling a lot better, but that'll be too soon.”

Having crossed over from fellow Championship side Bristol City, Vyner has been a reliable presence in midfield for The Red Dragons, featuring in a praised position in central midfield.

Prior to his setback, which is speculated to have occurred in Wrexham’s barren draw with West Brom, Vyner had been on a run of six straight starts, including his valiant display against Chelsea in the FA Cup on 7 March.

Vyner,who is born to a Kenyan mother and an English father, sat on the bench in Wrexham’s 5-1 thrashing to Southampton on 7 April, before entirely missing out on his team’s 2-0 defeat to Birmingham last Sunday.

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Placed four points off the promotion playoff places, Wrexham will need to go near-perfect in their last four games of the season, beginning Saturday against Stoke at the STōK Cae Ras.

Also expected to miss the afternoon (1700 EAT) contest for Wrexham will be central midfielder Ben Sheaf, who is out with a knee injury, while Nathan Broadhead will be a game-time decision, despite struggling with a tight hamstring.

Speaking ahead of the game, Parkinson said: “From our own point of view, we've been an effective team in nearly every game we've played this season, and over the last few years.

We've got to make sure we have that ability to impact the opposition back line and put teams under pressure. Whatever personnel, whatever shape of the team, forward runs, more dynamic in our play, and making sure that we're a lot more threatening than we were at the weekend against Birmingham.

We've got to make sure that we're ready to get Stoke right on the back foot from minute one at the weekend.”

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