DEAN KEATES believes Adi Yussuf will only get better and better after completing his first full-game for some time.

The striker, brought in on a season-long loan from Blackpool during the summer, bagged a brace in Saturday's 4-3 defeat against Wealdstone at The Grosvenor Vale Stadium.

A prolific goalscorer for Solihull Moors in the 2018-19 campaign, Yussuf found it difficult to break into the first team at the League One club last term and he had loan spells back at Damson Park and with Boreham Wood.

A groin injury sustained in the opening day 2-1 win over the Wood was not the way Yussuf wanted to start his stint with the Reds but he is now back to full fitness and Keates believes playing 90 minutes against the Stones in attack alongside Kwame Thomas will be a huge boost.

"It is not ideal losing anybody," said Keates, who was without injured strikers Jordan Ponticelli and Jake Bickerstaff against Wealdstone as well as numerous other players.

"Going with four strikers gives you options but we went from four to two within a day or two at the end of last week.

"Adi had his first 90 minutes in a long time and you could see he was looking a big jaded towards the end.

"But we managed to get 90 minutes into him and it will stand him in better stead going forward."

Keates only made one substitution against Wealdstone despite Wrexham trailing 4-2 in the second half - Yussuf scored a consolation goal in added time - due to a lack of attacking options on the bench.

And that change was enforced with Dan Jarvis coming on in place of the injured Paul Rutherford late in the first half.

Having made his first appearance of the season as a late substitute in last Monday's 1-0 home defeat to Maidenhead, the midfielder is now back in Keates' plans.

And Keates revealed why Jarvis, who joined Wrexham from Stoke City in January, was left out of the squad for the opening matches.

"I spoke with him through pre-season, he wasn't where he needed to be," said Keates.

"His last 10 days of training - probably the shock that he wasn't involved against Boreham Wood - he has had a bit of a reaction from it so he was waiting for his opportunity.

"He came on against Maidenhead and looked quite sharp in the brief spell he had.

"He had longer on Saturday and he did well."