Wycombe Wanderers Gareth Ainsworth has revealed that legendary striker Adebayo Akinfenwa will be welcomed back at Adams Park ‘at any time’.
The forward, 40, retired at the end of the 2021/22 season with his final appearance as a professional footballer coming in the 2-0 League One play-off final defeat against Sunderland in May at Wembley Stadium.
This summer will be the first time in six years that he will not return for pre-season, and even though Ainsworth admitted in May that they were working on finding his ‘replacement’, he admitted that another Adebayo Akinfenwa doesn’t exist.
A few words from the 🖤 pic.twitter.com/kCm4o9yxEM
— daRealAAkinfenwa (@daRealAkinfenwa) June 11, 2022
Speaking to Sky Sports on June 30, he said: “He is welcomed back at any time.
“He was an inspiration to the boys, he really was.
“He is a player that you can’t replace.
READ MORE: 'We have got something in the pipeline' - Gareth Ainsworth on Wycombe's transfer activity
“You can’t go out and try and get the next Akinfenwa as he doesn’t exist.
thank YOU Bayo 💙💙 pic.twitter.com/kqtg6tl3Ls
— Tyron 🏳️🌈 (@tlmfootball) June 11, 2022
“So we will have to try and work with our plan B that worked so well for us last season.
“He gave us so many goals for Wycombe Wanderers during his EFL career, and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Akinfenwa’s input on and off the pitch.”
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