The Aston Villa midfielder does not have many fans at his new club.
Aston Villa midfielder Glenn Whelan may have 276 Premier League appearances under his belt but the 33-year-old is yet to win over the majority of the club’s fans, with much of their ire directed at the summer signing.
The problem for Whelan is that he is quietly and effectively going about his job, playing a major role in Villa’s recent resurgence and subsequent surge up the table and, while Steve Bruce’s side lost 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, there are still plenty of reasons to be positive.
Villa are on the up after a disappointing start to their second straight season in the Championship, and Whelan’s influence should not be understated.
Alongside Conor Hourihane he helped Villa to four straight wins prior to the international break and yet, much like Leandro Bacuna before him, Whelan is now the but of supporters’ ridicule.
Football is a game of opinions and every supporter is entitled to their opinion, but one wonders if Whelan has already taken the role previously given to Bacuna – a player on whom criticism is focused even when the team as a whole have under-performed.
Bacuna racked up 131 appearances for Villa but he was always akin to the odd man out, and on early evidence Whelan is heading the same way.
Perhaps if the club win promotion come May, the former Stoke City man will get more credit, or perhaps he will always be the criticism-magnet.
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