Since his arrival at Carrington in 2005, Manchester City’s Whelan has guided the early careers of hundreds of talented players, including Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Danny Wellbeck, and Paul Pogba, and his work has recently been recognized by the Football Blacklist initiative.
However, it is Whelan who calls Rashford, who is 45 years younger than him and 24 years old, a “hero of mine.”
Whelan says of Marcus: “With his family history, where he lived, and the various problems he’s encountered throughout his life, who would have imagined he was going to be a humanitarian par excellence.” Whelan is speaking to BBC Sport in honour of Black History Month.
In a report released this week, the FA claimed that the number of black, Asian, and minority-ethnic managers and “non senior” coaches had decreased since the previous campaign, despite the fact that all 20 Premier League clubs and 32 of the 72 English Football League clubs that had signed up to its diversity code had fallen short of six of the eight goals.
Les Ferdinand, the director of football at QPR, and Patrick Vieira, the manager of Crystal Palace, both criticized these figures despite the reality that 43% of Premier League players and 34% of EFL players are black, a very far cry from Whelan’s playing days.
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Between 1968 when I was an apprenticeship professional at Manchester United and until I departed for America in 1977, I only played with or against roughly seven black players, according to Whelan. Just seven. Now, you wouldn’t notice that.
In fact, the lone black person can be seen in my team photos for Manchester United and Manchester City.
“I had champions, and I was never alone”
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During a 1970 preseason tour, Whelan made his Manchester United debut at the age of 17 against the Bermudan national team.
At United’s former training facility, The Cliff, he “treasures” memories of watching luminaries like George Best, Denis Law, and Bobby Charlton practice, as well as the “gravitas and dignity” of manager Sir Matt Busby, who “was so highly respected he was like the Pope.”
Later, Whelan played alongside Colin Bell, Franny Lee, and Mike Summer bee for two seasons at Manchester City.
Whelan claims he grew “immunised” to racial epithets due to the overall atmosphere for black players in British football in the 1970s.
