Glenn Whelan has agreed to join League One side Fleetwood Town and will use the move to aid the club's bid for promotion to the Championship and also keep his place in the Ireland team for the Euro 2020 play-off in March.

The 36-year-old had been without a club since his sudden exit from Hearts earlier this month, after he was axed from their squad by new manager Daniel Stendel. Whelan was the first player to leave Hearts in a major clearout.

He was linked with a number of clubs in England, Luton Town among those interested, but Fleetwood, managed by his former Manchester City team-mate Joey Barton, asked him to train and have now offered him a deal until the end of the season.

A deal could be done in time to allow him play in Saturday's game away to Bristol Rovers. Fleetwood are in 11th place in the League One table but remain in contention for promotion, four points off the playoff places.

Fellow Dubliner Paddy Madden is the club's leading scorer with 13 league goals. Now 29, Madden has not been capped since he made his senior debut under Giovanni Trapattoni in 2013 but the former Bohemians man has never abandoned hope of playing at international level again.

Mick McCarthy had stressed that his players needed to be playing first-team football regularly to stay in contention for the playoff away to Slovakia in March.

Online Editors