DENNIS LAWRENCE revealed that staying loyal to Trinidad and Tobago prevented him from taking the Wrexham hotseat.

The former centre-back, who still lives in Wrexham, was a fans' favourite at The Racecourse between 2001-2006 and was tipped for the Reds' manager's job after Sam Ricketts left to take charge of Shrewsbury in December 2018.

The Trinidad and Tobago FA issued a statement saying they had no intention of allowing head coach Lawrence to speak with Wrexham, who instead named Graham Barrow as Ricketts' successor.

The 45-year-old admits he had no intention of turning his back on the national side he won 89 caps for and also represented at the 2006 World Cup.

"Wrexham has always been a second home," said Lawrence. "I still live local and I still try and support the team as much as I can.

"It was surreal being linked with the manager's job because at that time it was a battle between home versus home because Wrexham is my home in my heart as well.

"It was a very difficult situation but I am always a very loyal person and at the time I had committed myself to Trinidad and Tobago.

"I probably would have done the same thing if it was the other way around because of the commitment I had made, and I decided that it wasn't the right time to do it."