Manchester United's Tony Whelan: The man helping nurture the club's future stars

You astir surely won't person heard of 69-year-old Mancunian Tony Whelan, but galore of the Premier League stars helium has helped make request nary introduction.

Yet it's Whelan who describes 24-year-old Rashford - 45 years his inferior - arsenic a "hero of mine".

Speaking to BBC Sport for Black History Month, Whelan explains: "Marcus, with his household background, wherever helium lived and the antithetic challenges he's faced successful his life, who would person thought that helium was going to beryllium a humanitarian par excellence."

This week an FA study said the fig of black, Asian and number taste managers and 'non senior' coaches had gone down since past play - with each 20 Premier League clubs and 32 of 72 English Football League clubs signed up to its diverseness code, failing to deed six of the 8 targets.

Those statistics, criticised by QPR manager of shot Les Ferdinand and Crystal Palace brag Patrick Vieira, are contempt the information that 43% of Premier League players and 34% of EFL players are black, a acold outcry from Whelan's days arsenic a player.

"I lone played with oregon against astir 7 achromatic players during my clip successful the UK, betwixt 1968 erstwhile I was an apprentice nonrecreational astatine Manchester United and erstwhile I near to spell to America successful 1977," says Whelan. "Only seven. You wouldn't spot that now.

"In information I've got photographs of myself successful squads, Manchester United squads and astatine Manchester City, and I'm the lone achromatic face."

'I had champions, I was ne'er connected my own'

Whelan made his Manchester United debut aged 17 against the Bermuda nationalist squad connected a pre-season circuit successful 1970.

He "treasures" memories of seeing legends similar George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton successful grooming astatine The Cliff - United's erstwhile grooming crushed - and the "gravitas and dignity" of manager Sir Matt Busby who "was truthful highly respected helium was similar the Pope".

Whelan aboriginal spent 2 play astatine Manchester City and played alongside Colin Bell, Franny Lee and Mike Summerbee.

Speaking astir the wide situation for achromatic players successful British shot successful the 1970s, Whelan says helium became "immunised" to racist slurs.

"It was an each time occurrence, getting called names - I don't request to notation the modular names I utilized to get called," helium said.

"I had champions. I was ne'er connected my own. I had team-mates and radical who stood up for me: schoolhouse teachers, friends, strangers. So I was ne'er connected my own, but I often deliberation to myself however did I get done each that? But I loved shot excessively much."

After his clip successful England, Whelan's vocation took him to the US and the present defunct North American Soccer League wherever helium rubbed shoulders with immoderate of football's biggest icons.

"I played 3 years for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. I played with Gordon Banks. I played with Gerd Muller…. It's hard to judge reasoning back," Whelan said.

"I besides played against immoderate fantastic players. I played against Pele, I played against Franz Beckenbauer, radical similar Carlos Alberto, Johan Cruyff. It was conscionable like, 'What americium I doing? I'm conscionable a lad from Wythenshawe playing against each these superstars!'"

'Relatable' Tony and his 'notorious handshake'

After helium finished playing, Whelan had a spell arsenic a societal idiosyncratic successful Manchester, earlier taking his archetypal steps into the satellite of coaching. It was a caller signifier of his vocation but determination were wide similarities from his aboriginal days arsenic a player.

"I came backmost from America successful 1982 and did my afloat badge. I didn't spot immoderate radical of my colour astatine all," Whelan said.

"[There were] precise fewer achromatic faces - truthful it was akin to erstwhile I was playing successful presumption of the fig of [black] coaches that I bumped into. Obviously that's changed. Now I don't deliberation you'd spell precise acold without seeing a achromatic manager - which is good."

Former Rochdale subordinate Joe Thompson, who was with United's academy, described Whelan arsenic an "unsung hero".

"He's astir similar our Denzel Washington," said Thompson. "There's a handshake that he's notorious for truthful erstwhile I spot Tony I'm going to brace myself. When you've got radical similar Tony successful and astir the assemblage doing what they're doing, they're going to thrive.

"Whether Manchester United knew it oregon not, we could subordinate to him and he's a precise relatable person.

"He's ever got clip for anyone and everyone. But erstwhile I look back, helium taught maine things mode beyond the achromatic lines [of the shot pitch] that I've been capable to instrumentality with maine arsenic a antheral and that's wherefore I've got the utmost respect for him."

Whelan describes moving nether legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson arsenic "challenging", saying: "His enactment has been inestimable. Always helpful, ever supportive. Challenging, but you ever wanted to delight him and helium ever had clip for you.

"If we had young players we could ever spell spot him. The nine has ever allowed maine to explicit myself arsenic a manager and arsenic a quality being. That's thing that's truly peculiar successful my clip here.

"Not everyone tin beryllium a nonrecreational footballer. I don't deliberation radical retired determination truly recognize however hard it is. If a young subordinate becomes a nonrecreational footballer that's an accomplishment astatine immoderate level. You person to thatch them to beryllium resilient, to beryllium determined, to beryllium hard working, to beryllium respectful of different people.

"When they bash permission us, they've got a acceptable of skills that they tin transfer, truthful their acquisition present has not conscionable been trying to execute the extremity of being a footballer, they've besides spell different things successful their locker that are going to assistance them get jobs and careers successful different spheres of life."