Defender Cleworth commits to Wrexham until 2027

Defender Max Cleworth had a spell on loan with Caernarfon Town in the Cymru Premier

Defender Max Cleworth has signed a new three-year contract with League One newcomers Wrexham.

Cleworth established himself as a regular in the heart of defence during the second half of last season and played a key role in securing promotion from League Two.

The 21-year-old came through Wrexham’s academy and has made 73 league appearances, having been given his senior debut in August 2021.

“It’s nice to have put that to bed and concentrate on the future now and hopefully a good few more years with this club,” Cleworth told BBC Sport Wales.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “It’s very important to keep our best young players and Max’s journey has been an enjoyable one for the supporters and staff as well.

“He played in my first ever game as Wrexham manager at Solihull and we’ve seen him grow as a player in the last few years.

“He thoroughly deserves his new contract.”

Cleworth did not make his first League Two appearance until last December but established himself in the side and scored his first goal for the club against Colchester United in April.

It was his second successive league title with the club, having been part of the National League-winning squad a year previously.

“Obviously it was a good back-end to the season personally and a very good one for the club as a whole,” Cleworth added.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge that comes this year. There are some big clubs in the league - Birmingham and Huddersfield – so we know hard it’s going to be.

“But we’ve got the players to compete with that level of football.”