9:48am Thursday 2nd July 2009
FOREST GREEN’S Andy Mangan returned to pre-season training on Monday, despite interest from Wrexham manager Dean Saunders.
Mangan returned with his Forest Green team-mates to Hartpury College, but has still to put pen- to-paper with Jim Harvey’s side. However, former Liverpool legend Saunders is understood to be keen on signing Mangan, who scored a brace in the Reds boss’ first game in charge of Wrexham, the 3-2 victory at Forest Green in October, and in the 1-1 draw at The Racecourse in March.
With Saunders eager to bolster his strikeforce, Mangan’s goalscoring exploits have made him one of Wrexham’s summer targets.
"The manager has spoken to Andy a couple of times," said Wrexham assistant Brian Carey.
"The lad got 29 goals overall last season. Andy is a player that works hard and scores plenty of goals.
"We’ve known all about Andy the last few years having seen him in action, and he scored in both games against us last season. He has impressed us."
Mangan is out of contract at Forest Green Rovers where he finished top goal scorer in the Blue Square Premier in his first season at The New Lawn, netting 26 times in 39 outings.
Although a number of clubs have shown an interest in Mangan, the 22-year-old currently has a Football Association charge hanging over his head.
Mangan is one of five players bring probed by the FA for breaching betting rules.
The five have been charged with betting on a victory for Bury against Accrington Stanley in the final game of the 2007-08 season.
Mangan, who was then with Bury but has also played for Accrington Stanley, did not play in the game but has been charged with betting £3,500 on his own team to win, which they did, 2-0.
Under FA rules, players, managers or coaching staff are prohibited from betting on the result or progress of any match or competition in which the participant is participating or has any direct or indirect influence.
A panel is to sit this month and with a number of clubs in pursuit of the Liverpool-born Mangan, Wrexham’s co-assistant manager Brian Carey said the outcome of the hearing would determine if the striker could be enticed away from Forest Green.
"Andy needs to find out where his future lies," said Carey in response to the hearing.
"I am not too sure of the ins and outs of it so it would be unfair for me to comment."
Forest Green might will be entitled to compensation should Mangan decide to leave, due to him being under the age of 24."
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