‘I was at Man Utd academy with Marcus Rashford now I’m leading Wrexham’s Premier League push’
Wrexham’s recent rise up the Championship table has been aided by a player who started his career alongside Marcus Rashford
Former Man Utd starlet Sam Smith has been praised for his goals for Wrexham(Image: Getty Images)
Sam Smith has come a long way from sharing training pitches with Marcus Rashford at Manchester United’s academy to spearheading Wrexham’s push towards the Premier League. The 27-year-old striker is seizing his chance in the Championship after being thrust into the spotlight following an injury to the Welsh side’s leading scorer, Kieffer Moore.
Smith’s recent run in the team has proved crucial to Wrexham’s surge up the table. After Moore pulled up with a hamstring injury in the final game of 2025 against Preston North End, Smith led the line in victories over Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, scoring in both matches.
Those results extended Wrexham’s winning streak to four and lifted them into ninth place, just a point outside the play-off positions. The Hollywood-owned club are now daring to dream of a remarkable fourth consecutive promotion and manager Phil Parkinson has been quick to praise Smith’s impact.
Speaking to The Leader newspaper, he said: “When you need players to step in and pick up the baton, Sam’s done that so well. He’s been brilliant. Forget the goals, his all-around displays have been really good and that is what I’m pleased with.
“Blackburn, he ran in behind, he held the ball up, he defended set-plays and he did the same at Derby. In that 3-4-3 system, you need the striker at the top of the pitch to occupy defenders to create space for the two 10s, and he did it brilliantly.
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“It’s a big ask but we asked Sam to go again at Derby and it just shows the level of his professionalism that he’s been able to produce a performance like that against a really good Championship defence.”
Parkinson added: “It is an absolute credit to his professionalism because he trains so hard every day, he’s always in the gym and his detail of how he prepares himself for games is elite. He’s a great character to have in the group and he’s a good player.”
Wrexham swooped for Sam Smith in January 2025 after his impressive form for Reading(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Smith’s current prominence represents a sharp contrast to earlier in the season, when opportunities were limited. Prior to Moore’s injury, he had made just one Championship start in a goalless draw at Ipswich Town in November, with most of his appearances coming from the bench.
Despite that, Wrexham’s belief in Smith has never wavered since the club broke their transfer record to sign him from Reading for around £2million in January 2025. He repaid that faith last season, playing a key role in promotion from League One by scoring seven goals in 18 league games, including a decisive brace against Charlton Athletic in April that secured a second-place finish.
Smith’s journey to this point has been far from straightforward. As a teenager, he was part of a star-studded Manchester United academy alongside Rashford, Scott McTominay, Dean Henderson, Angel Gomes and Axel Tuanzebe.
Sam Smith played alongside Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay at Manchester United’s academy(Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
However, when Rashford was converted into a central striker, Smith found himself squeezed out and was released at 16 in a moment that could easily have derailed his career. Instead, it became a defining experience.
Speaking in 2022, Smith reflected on the unforgiving nature of academy football and the importance of family support.
He said: “I grew up in the academy at United. A lot of us lads went to the same school. Marcus Rashford was one of my friends, Axel Tuanzebe was there, Angel Gomes who is now in France, Scott McTominay played with us and so did Dean Henderson. They were all good lads.
“Being around the best young players in the world at that age is key. The lads who didn’t go on to get a scholarship at United just fell out the game, just from the pure disappointment.
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“Luckily for me I’ve got a really good family and they kept me going. Mentally it was difficult, but I think it can also build you up mentally and it builds your character.”
After leaving United, Smith joined Reading, signing his first professional deal in 2017 and making his senior debut later that year. Loan spells followed before he found consistency at Cambridge United, where he scored 35 goals in 109 appearances. A return to Reading in 2023 brought further goals – and eventually a move to Wrexham, where his career has taken another decisive step forward.
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