Paul Mullin was once the undisputed star of Wrexham’s charge up the EFL but continues to be conspicuous by his absence this season.
The 30-year-old missed out on a reunion with former club Cambridge on Tuesday, his eleventh straight omission from a League One squad.
Four years ago, Mullin turned down a deal with the U’s in favour of dropping multiple divisions to join Wrexham in the National League.
The striker has scored over 100 goals for the Red Dragons since his arrival in 2021 to fire the fallen giants back into the EFL.
The 30-year-old has become a massive cult hero on-and-off the pitch, thanks in part, to his starring role in Wrexham’s Disney documentary.
His popularity led to co-owner Ryan Reynolds even casting him as part of his Deadpool vs Wolverine movie as ‘Welshpool’.
A return to his former stomping ground at the Abbey at one stage looked to be the perfect vindication for Mullin’s decision to leave, with Wrexham battling to reach promotion while Cambridge seem destined for life in League Two.
However, Mullin didn’t play a part in the 2-2 draw with James Brophy’s side, as his fairytale seems to have come to an abrupt stop.
Why is Mullin not playing for Wrexham?
Although not confirmed, the forward’s exile has been simply selection-based with the depth of attacking options at the club.
In January, Wrexham spent £2million to sign Sam Smith from Reading, while ex-Burnley star Jay Rodriguez was also recruited.
Despite the pair’s slow goal-scoring start at the SToK Cae Ras, their pedigree have pushed Mullin down the pecking order.
Phil Parkinson also has ex-Premier League forward Steven Fletcher, as well as Jack Marriott and Ollie Palmer, among his options.
Mullin has faced criticism that the step up in level to League One has proven too high for him after years playing in the divisions below.
He had suffered from an injury at the start of the campaign, missing multiple games after undergoing surgery on his back.
On top of that, he then suffered a shin issue, but the first half of this season was also dominated by his struggles in front of goal.
He has not appeared at all in any league game since January 28 and only made nine starts all campaign – scoring three goals.
His last outing came as a substitute in the semi-finals of the EFL trophy against Peterborough United in March.
Unfortunately for Mullin, it proved to be a nightmare appearance, as he missed his penalty in a shootout to his old Cambridgeshire rivals and ended owners Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wembley dream.
Weeks later, Mullin was forced to silence a suggestion of one fan who claimed that he appealed to the Hollywood duo after a fallout with manager Parkinson.
“Nonsense,” the star replied to the post on X, formerly Twitter.
Mullin did express a much more heartfelt message this week, after admitting he was gutted to miss out on a reunion with Cambridge.
“1st love v the wife tonight,” wrote Mullin on Instagram on Tuesday. “Gutted to not be involved, memories for life at The Abbey.”
