Phil Parkinson is confident Callum O’Hare will become a key player for Wrexham as the attacking midfielder searches for his first goal for the club against former side Sheffield United this weekend.

Wrexham signed O’Hare for an undisclosed fee believed to be worth $9.5 million (£7 million) on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window. The 28-year-old signed an initial three-year deal at the Racecourse Ground, with an option for a fourth, and cited the club’s ambition to reach the Premier League as a key reason behind his move.

O’Hare has started Wrexham’s last six matches but has yet to register a direct goal contribution in any of his eight appearances for the Welsh club. The attacking midfielder scored twice in five starts for Sheffield United this season before moving to North Wales on the final day of the transfer window.

Parkinson Backs O’Hare Ahead of All-Important Clash

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder accused Wrexham of taking a “blanket bomb” approach to the summer transfer window as they closed in on a deal for O’Hare. Wilder suggested the Red Dragons were “in for half the division” as they frantically looked to strengthen their squad in the closing days of the window.

It was not the first time Wilder had taken a dig at old foe Parkinson, with the pair having been apprentices together at Southampton as teenagers. Speaking ahead of Sheffield United’s clash with Cardiff City earlier in the season, a game in which O’Hare scored, Wilder accused Parkinson of disrespecting their Welsh rivals after they were held to a 1–1 draw on the opening weekend.

“I watched the game against Wrexham. I thought it was one-way traffic for 20 minutes,” Wilder said. “The second half, I didn’t agree with what the Wrexham manager said, I don’t usually anyway, in terms of that it was a one-sided game. I thought he should give the opposition a little bit more credit and respect.”

A hostile reception awaits O’Hare on Friday, with Wrexham likely to name both the midfielder and former Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore in their starting lineup. Wilder did not want to sell O’Hare in the summer and admitted last season that, if it were up to him, Moore would still be playing for the club, too.

Wrexham need big performances from their forwards at Bramall Lane amid a difficult start to the season. Only three teams have averaged fewer than their 3.4 shots on target per match, while their expected goals (xG) total of 13.6 is the sixth-lowest in the Championship.

O’Hare has recorded an xG of 1.85 since joining the club, with Wrexham struggling to cope without the firepower of last season’s top scorer, Josh Windass. The 32-year-old missed the entirety of preseason because of injury and fitness issues and is currently sidelined with a separate ankle problem.

That puts even more pressure on O’Hare, who has operated as the lone attacking midfielder in each of Wrexham’s last two matches. However, Parkinson is confident that one goal could change the midfielder’s fortunes at his new club.

“I think generally, his performances have been good: the Preston one (won 4-1) in particular,” Parkinson told Sports Illustrated. “I had a good chat with him this week; the moment will come for him. He just has to concentrate on his general all-around performance and not get frustrated that the moments haven’t come. In fairness, the goal we won the game with against Southampton was practically his. He has been so close on a number of occasions. His general play has been really good and his work for the team has been excellent.”

For O’Hare, it is business as usual. He knows he will receive plenty of abuse in front of his former fans on Friday but insists he will treat the match like any other.

“I’m looking forward to it. Good to see some faces, but we mainly just want to get three points and win,” O’Hare told Sports Illustrated after the weekend defeat to Blackburn.

Although he has yet to score for his new club, O’Hare pointed out that he is still getting into the right positions. He admitted, however, that he has not had the little bit of luck needed to find the net and secure what would undoubtedly be a significant confidence boost.

He added: “I mean, getting the chances, I feel like I am always going to get those. When one goes, I am going to get the chance to keep scoring. So I have just got to keep pushing to get that.”

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