Former Hearts and Aston Villa player gets ex-Villan + Hibs man's approval after replacing him as EFL club boss

A former Hearts star has revealed seeking the advice of an ex Hibs manager after taking on boss duties

Glenn Whelan featured 17 times in maroon towards the end of his career before moving into coaching, having also featured for the likes of Aston Villa and Stoke City. He has been with Wigan Athletic of late, who have moved to remove another former Villan in Shaun Maloney as boss.

Maloney started his managerial career at Hibs but it was a short lived stint lasting less than a season. He has built his stock up again after stabilising Wigan following relegation to League One and keeping them in the third tier amid a points deduction, but has now been sacked amid a poor run of form.

Managerial ambition at Wigan

Former Jambo Whelan has taken charge of Wigan, guiding them to a point and clean sheet in a draw with Mansfield Town. The former Aston Villa star told the Wigan Today of his managerial ambitions: "I'm just going to take it day by day, see what happens. I really enjoyed Mansfield, getting the experience, and that's all I'm doing at the moment. I'm just trying to soak it all up and being able to use it going forward, to where I want to get to in the future. For now, though, it's just day to day, building up to Cambridge on Saturday, and see how we get on.

“For me personally, think about it before the game, it was going up against one of the biggest names in British football. Nigel's a great bloke, he's been around the block, and I'm sure he's seen everything there is to see in the game. For me, that was the first time standing up as the manager, and I cherished it...and I can cherish it even more because we got the clean sheet and the point. Obviously a win would have been nice, but we didn't lose and that's something we can build on.

“I'm brand new to the coaching game. It's something I obviously want to do in the future but, for me now, it's just day to day and we'll see what happens. Obviously the people in charge are going to do what's best for Wigan and for the players, and whatever that is, who knows? “

Former Hibs boss’ influence

Whelan also confirmed that he sought the advice of the now former Wigan manager and ex Hibs boss. The former Hearts man added: “The only thinking at the moment is if we get a win on Saturday, we might have earned a day off on Sunday...that's all I'm thinking about! Listen, just to have been given this opportunity, I need to thank everyone who's put my name forward. I'm just trying to do my best for the club on a day-to-day basis.

“Look I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to do it. But I had to speak to Shaun because, wherever I've been, I've always tried to be as loyal as I can. I got his backing to do the job, and see what I can do. I've been in football all my life, it's something I want to be in and around, and when you get an opportunity like this, I was never going to turn it down."