A former Man United youth player has talked about the harsh reality of being released
Matty James playing for Manchester United's youth academy
Matty James, pictured playing for Manchester United's youth academy, has spoken emotionally about his career
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A former Manchester United academy graduate has revealed the "harsh" reality of being without a club last year, before Wrexham offered him a career-saving opportunity. Ex-Leicester midfielder Matty James found himself in limbo after Championship side Bristol City released him at the age of 32 in May 2024.
The free agent was eventually snapped up by Wrexham, then in League One, on a short-term deal last October. James became a crucial player under manager Phil Parkinson and was quickly rewarded with an extended 18-month contract.
He featured 33 times in total for the Red Dragons last season, netting twice as they clinched their third consecutive promotion. Now back competing in the second tier, James has admitted to struggling during his spell without a club, but says life has improved significantly thanks to the chance given by the Welsh side.
He said: "Wrexham means everything to me. It gave me the opportunity to continue doing what I'm doing. It gave me the opportunity to carry on playing in front of my children, my two boys absolutely love it. My little girl, she's only two-and-a-half, but that was always a drive for me.
"I wanted to continue playing so that my boys could hopefully remember it. That would be something that I would love and there was a point in time where I didn't think that was going to happen.
"For me, it means the absolute world to me and I think it will be something that I'll treasure for the rest of my life to be able to have that moment of carrying on playing football where I felt unbelievable.
Wrexham's Matty James and Jack Moylan of Lincoln City
Wrexham's Matty James has spoken about how he is loving life in North Wales
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"I played a lot of games in the Championship to then have that taken away from me and it would have been a little bit harsh and hard to take. So I think the opportunity that this club gave me is something that is hard to describe."
He added: "It's a bit of an emotional thing to be honest and I want to try and repay that as much as I possibly can throughout the time that I've left here and hopefully I'll do that."
James began his career in United's youth system but struggled to break into the first team. He transferred to Leicester City in 2012, playing a pivotal role in their promotion to the Premier League during the 2013/14 season and helping them stay there the following year.
He was part of the Foxes squad that won the title in 2016, but missed the entire season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. James discussed the difficulty of being let go last year after Wrexham defeated his former club Bristol City 2-0 at the Racecourse Ground.
The victory propelled them to 10th place in the league, just two points shy of the play-off positions. The 34-year-old didn't start against the Robins, but made a significant contribution in the second half to secure the three points.
Wrexham are currently enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak in the league as they gear up to welcome Blackburn on Saturday afternoon, with James maintaining he feels in peak condition.
He said: "Physically, I feel amazing. Touch wood, I've got no problems at the moment and I feel like I'm doing everything I possibly can to stay fit, to stay in the team, to do the things that the gaffer and the staff are asking me to do.
"I've heard the saying a million times where people say age is just a number. I feel like when you get to the age that I am now, you do believe that, because the way I feel is possibly better than what I felt in my early 20s at times.
"That's maybe because you just understand your body a lot more. I've suffered with injuries in the past that were no fault of my own. And I've had to have different things, different surgeries and stuff like that.
"I feel like now, maybe hopefully, I'm getting some of that time back. That's what I believe anyway. It (the aim) is to play as long as I possibly can because I have that internal drive to prove people wrong."