The Wrexham star highlights an area Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney need to improve

Wrexham star Mark Howard has praised Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for their hands on approach – but he has named one thing they need to change

Wrexham star Mark Howard has highlighted an area the club’s Hollywood owners need to improve if they are to achieve their Premier League ambitions.

The Welsh side have enjoyed a rapid rise through the divisions thanks to the investment of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, earning back-to-back promotions from the National League to League One.

Phil Parkinson’s side are currently second in the third tier this season, putting them in a strong position to pull off an astonishing third successive promotion to the Championship.

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Reynolds and McElhenney have ambitious plans to capitalize on the popularity of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary, with the pair previously revealing their aim to make it all the way to the Premier League.

Despite praising A-listers for their “hands on” approach, goalkeeper Mark Howard believes there is one ingredient missing to make it to the top flight. The veteran stopper identified the lack of a dedicated training facility for their first-team stars as the main stumbling block.

Howard said: “It’s been talked about publicly that the training ground is the one aspect that the club lacks because then it becomes a great road. You can improve the academy and they will start producing more and more players because the catchment area around Wrexham is huge.

“That’s one thing we’ve all talked about, including the players, the staff and the owners. It’s something the club knows will have to change going forward.

“We’ve fast-tracked our progress with a couple of promotions to push ourselves up the leagues, so there are areas where the club is playing catch-up. That sort of thing is part of the club’s development.”

Reynolds and McElhenney made investment in a permanent training facility “worthy of an EFL club” one of their main priorities when they first bought the club in February 2021.

But more than three years later, Parkinson and his players still have to make use of several temporary bases to prepare for matches.

They include Colliers Park in the nearby village of Gresford, which is owned by the Football Association of Wales, along with the Carden Park Hotel in neighboring Cheshire and the Racecourse Ground itself.

Speaking during an appearance on Howard’s ‘Yours, Mine, Away’ podcast in February, Deadpool star Reynolds admitted there was an urgent need for a new training ground, but blamed planning red tape for the delays.

He said: “We badly need a training ground. There’s a lot of different options we’re looking at but yes, it’s massive, not just massive for the club but massive for everyone.

“We also want it to be something that is experienced by everyone who lives in Wrexham, so there is a lot of careful planning that goes into it.

“It’s the same where I grew up in Canada, there’s a lot of bureaucracy, it’s not as easy as saying let’s build this thing or grow this thing, you have to get 800 permits before you’re allowed to that.”

Howard was speaking ahead of a sportsman’s night at the Hotel Wrexham (formerly Holt Lodge) on Thursday 19 December, where he will appear alongside goalkeeping legends John Achterberg and Neville Southall.

Tickets, costing £25 for the Q&A session or £40 for the meet and greet, both including food and live music, can be purchased from Skiddle website .