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James McClean has shared a touching tribute to Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac following his unexpected exit from the club. The 36-year-old was tied to the Red Dragons until summer 2027, but his move to join his hometown club Derry City was confirmed on Saturday after a mutual agreement to terminate his contract.

Since signing in August 2023, McClean made 108 competitive appearances and scored eight goals for Wrexham, leading them to back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship as captain. However, the former Republic of Ireland international has struggled to secure regular playing time this season.

After expressing his dissatisfaction over limited minutes, McClean has chosen to return to his roots in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Despite his grievances over reduced playing time, McClean commended Wrexham for their "classy" handling of his departure.

Posting on Instagram, the left-wing back singled out Hollywood stars Reynolds and Mac for making his time at the club so memorable.

He wrote: "Been going over and over in my head to try and somehow put into words what this club @wrexham_afc has meant to me since I signed and truth be told, no matter what words I write, it won't do justice to express the feeling.

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"It's genuinely been the most incredible and enjoyable couple of years I have had. A huge thank you to @vancityreynolds and @robmac, who are two incredible people by the way, for giving me the opportunity to be part of the magic that is Wrexham or to people outside of Wrexham "Disney FC".

"The management staff who believed in me and gave me the honour to captain this club to history, the medical staff, the staff around the ground, the fans who have been incredible and welcomed me from day one, no politics, no media perceptions, just football.

"This club have been incredible and showed a real touch of class in making my move back home easy."

He added: "Finally, and certainly not least, all the players who I shared the dressing room with, battles on the pitch and the glories off the pitch...while creating great friendships. We created a bond and togetherness like no other.

"My only regret is I couldn't have been a few years younger when joining this journey because this club is only going to go on and create more magic but that's football."

The news of McClean's exit emerged on the heels of Wrexham's 2-1 Championship loss to Norwich City at home on Saturday, ending their four-match winning streak. Speaking after the match, manager Phil Parkinson was full of praise for his departing skipper, who will be teaming up with his younger brother, Patrick McClean, at Derry.

He said: "Jimmy had an opportunity to go back to Ireland and I had a good chat with him last week. The time's right for him and his family. He always wanted to settle back in his hometown and he's got the opportunity to go and finish his career there.

"He's been a great servant for us and I've really enjoyed working with him. He's been an important player over the last few years with his drive, determination, his mentality and professionalism and we wish him and his family all the best."