Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has brushed off a request to buy Manchester United as the Hollywood’s star’s love affair with the Welsh side goes on.
Reynolds along with actor pal Rob McElhenney took over the club back in November 2020, with the ambition of guiding the Red Dragons back to the Football League after a 13-year absence. But they have previously refused to rule out the possibility of getting all the way back to the top flight.
"We'd be lying if the dream wasn't Premier League," McElhenney said: "No one has gone from our league all the way up to the Premier League but some clubs have gone from the National League to the Championship."
They are also hoping to sprinkle in some silverware along the way and last week booked their place in a Wembley showpiece, where they will face off against Bromley in May’s FA Trophy final. Reynolds was in attendance at the Racecourse Ground last week as they booked their place in the final, beating Stockport County 2-0 with an injury-time brace from Paul Mullin.
In the days following the dramatic victory, fans launched a campaign to get Wrexham legend Gareth Davies to the home of football to see his beloved club compete for honours. The central defender made almost 500 appearances for the club in a Reds career which spanned 16 years.
Davies is battling dementia and is now wheelchair dependent after seeing his health sadly decline in recent years. A husband of a woman that used to care for the former Wales international launched a bid to get him down to London for the May 22 final - but Reynolds intervened on Saturday night with a vow to ensure he definitely gets to the game.
“Rob and I will make sure Gareth makes it to Wembley in comfort,” Reynolds tweeted to his 19.3million followers on Saturday night. "He showed up for @Wrexham_AFC and we’ll show up for him. #GarethIsGoingToWembley.”
Unsurprisingly the announcement was met with widespread praise for an ownership group who have taken the club to heart and set about entrenching themselves in the community, regardless of their California residence. “It’s not impossible not to love these two,” one fan said. “These guys are unbelievable. Absolute legends,” another replied.
At the other end of the ownership scale lie the Glazer family who have regularly angered the Manchester United fans during their stint as owners at Old Trafford. Supporters have carried out numerous protests about the American owners, one of which caused a Premier League game with Liverpool to be postponed last season.
And in a desperate bid to get the popular owners to take United off the Glazers’ hands, one fan asked Reynolds to purchase the club, to which he replied: “I’m already seeing someone.”
In matters on the field, it was another drama-filled afternoon for Wrexham, who for the third time in four matches scored a stoppage-time winner. And it was Mullin who was the hero yet again as Wrexham came from 2-1 down to beat Eastleigh 3-2 to keep the pressure on National League leaders Stockport County.
“The nine thousand plus in that stadium never had a doubt,” It’s Always Sunny Star McElhenney posted on social media. “What a team. What support. Absolute magic. THESE ARE YOUR DRAGONS!”
