Anthony M Whelan is an English former professional footballer who works as assistant academy director of Manchester United.
17 Facts About Tony Whelan
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Tony Whelan is responsible for the Under-9 to Under-16 player development programme.
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Tony Whelan attended St Anthonys Sec Modern in Blackley, North Manchester for a short while then after the family moved to Partington, Whelan attended St Paul's Secondary Modern School in Urmston, where he captained his school team, as well as the local schoolboy representative team, Stretford Boys.
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Whilst playing for Stretford Boys, Tony Whelan was spotted by Manchester United scout Joe Armstrong and invited to sign associated schoolboy forms in 1967.
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Tony Whelan signed apprentice professional forms upon leaving school in July 1968 and advanced through the various junior teams featuring in the FA Youth Cup team that reached the semi-finals in both 1969 and 1970.
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Tony Whelan signed as a full professional in December 1969 and, in May 1970, aged just 17, he was selected to go on the first team's three-week tour of Bermuda, Canada and the United States, where he played against Eintracht Frankfurt and the Bermuda national football team.
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In February 1973, Tony Whelan was on the verge of signing for Bolton Wanderers when his mother received a phone call from Manchester City manager Malcolm Allison.
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Tony Whelan was offered a month-long trial with the club, and within three weeks he had been offered a professional contract and was making his debut against West Ham United, starting up front with Francis Lee on 17 March 1973.
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However, Tony Whelan only made five more appearances for City over the next 16 months before departing for Rochdale in July 1974.
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Tony Whelan scored 20 goals in 130 first team outings for Rochdale.
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Tony Whelan quickly became a fan favourite and earned the nickname "Wheels" for his speed and as a play on his last name.
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Tony Whelan received the honorary citizenship of Plantation, Florida for services to the youth of the community.
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Tony Whelan was selected for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "All Strikers Team" which included George Best, Gerd Muller, Teofilo Cubillas and Brian Kidd.
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Tony Whelan was transferred to the Atlanta Chiefs for the 1980 and 1981 seasons and helped them win divisional titles, both indoor and outdoor, in 1981.
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Tony Whelan was the recipient of the Most Valuable Player Award in two nationally televised games in 1978.
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In 2015, Tony Whelan successfully completed a professional doctorate entitled "Pastoral Care of Premier League Academy Schoolboy Footballers ".
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In July 2020, Tony Whelan received the Eamonn Dolan award from the Premier League for his role in the Manchester United academy and his contribution to youth coaching.