How do you solve a problem like succeeding?

Ironically, one of the by-products of massive success – and surely we’re ahead of schedule in terms of achieving our goals – is finding that well-laid plans suddenly become out-dated, made redundant as our circumstances change so swiftly.

As Phil Parkinson pulls together next season’s squad, there will inevitably be some tough decisions. However, at least one young talent will surely be given time to develop, though perhaps not in North Wales for the moment.

Mo Faal was brought in as the transfer window closed at the start of last season and was widely reported to be our record club signing at the time.

He has already arrived at an interesting point, even this early in his career. He finished last season out of the first team squad, even though we were selecting four strikers in our matchday eighteen.

Some people have prematurely jumped to the conclusion that he is not going to be at the club for long and will have to be sold at a loss.

I strongly suspect not, although I understand the instinct to assume he has not been a success having not made a league start after we’d paid a substantial fee for him.

However, in truth there’s no evidence his time at the SToK Cae Ras isn’t going according to plan. When we signed Faal, Phil Parkinson said he was one for the future, a project he would work on. He should be judged further down the road, not now.

Anybody who claims they can’t see the potential in Faal is, I suspect, being wilfully awkward.

He is quick, has fast feet and is able to cause problems for defenders in the air.

In fact, causing problems for defenders is his specialism. He’s unorthodox. He’s awkward. He’s difficult to read. His spindly legs and arms stick out and make it difficult for defenders to step in around him to get at the ball.

He pulls off moves you don’t expect. That’s exactly what Parkinson and his scouting team saw in him when they brought him in. It’s also something they need to nurture.

Naturally, playing that way isn’t the percentage way to go about your job. There are plenty of times when it doesn’t come off. However, you don’t want to coach the inspiration out of him.

It’s his ability to do the unexpected, to operate in an unusual way, that caught the eye in the first place.

So, what next? Plainly, Parkinson will look to develop him. But the chances of him getting a chance in our Championship side seem slim at best.

There’s every chance that Parkinson will invest in a striker with experience of the Championship, or higher, this Summer. Therefore, Faal could find himself further down the pecking order. It’ll be very interesting to see exactly what happens for him next season.

You’d think Wrexham will look to loan him out. He has potential, without question, and has already shown some signs of living up to it last season. He’s still young, and he is a player who already looks like the rough edges were being knocked off him.

His performances in the Virtu Trophy became more consistent as the season wore on, and our run to the verge of Wembley meant we were able to afford him a fair amount of first team exposure.

He started all seven games in the competition, scoring three goals, while in the other competitions he made nine substitute appearances, all in the last twenty minutes of matches.

His early performances were a mixture of the extravagant and the unfortunate. Sometimes he would pull off a neat trick, sometimes it wouldn’t stick, and he’d lose the ball. In later games, he looked a little more orthodox, a little more settled into the way we set ourselves up.

There was plenty of good stuff in his early appearances, not least a sublime volleyed goal against Wolves Under-21s. It all came together with his all-round performance at Port Vale in the last sixteen, when he tortured the home defenders with his directness and aggression.

He set up a goal and when he capped off a 4-1 win with the final goal there was widespread delight. He deserved it as a reward for a fine stint, and the reaction of his teammates and the away fans as he wheeled away gleefully reflected that.

He scored again in the semi-final, and when we withdrew him and his strike partner Jack Marriott in the 66th minute we were 2-0 up and apparently coasting to a final at Wembley.

Let’s stop talking about the Vertu Trophy there, shall we? The best thing about it is that we won’t have to play in it next season!

Having said that, the removal of a third knock-out competition from our schedule limits Faal’s chances of first team action further. It was intriguing to see Faal’s development, and surely he now needs a season of first team football to help him develop further.

If that’s what we do, it’s crucial that we select the correct destination for him. We need to find a team whose use of his talents will be similar to how we would deploy him.

Fortunately, we know that Parkinson is fully aware of that necessity. He doesn’t sanction loans moves for young players which wouldn’t develop them as players.

Ostensibly, Faal is in a similar position to Sam Dalby, who went out on loan as Faal arrived. He was also brought in as a player to be developed, but the swiftness of our rise through the divisions meant Parkinson simply didn’t have the time to work with him.

Similarly, Jake Bickerstaff, a fine instinctive finisher who, we ought to remember, started our return to the EFL in 2023 with some strong performances in Paul Mullin’s absence. If we’d stayed at that level for a few years, we might have been able to bring Dalby and Bickerstaff through, but we have leaped so swiftly to the Championship that it has become difficult to be patient and nurture young talent.

Max Cleworth is the exception, of course, but he was able to break into the side in the National League and stay in and around it. Success raises the bar but also means patience is a virtue with no Virtu.

Faal’s celebrations after we clinched promotion were as endearing as they were enthusiastic. They added to the sense that he’s a player fans wish to see succeed. Parkinson has shown with Cleworth that he is more than willing to bring young players through though, and Faal might just, with a spell of temporary absence, turn out to be another exception to the rule.