Ethan Wheatley: Why I chose to sign for Northampton from Manchester United
New signing Ethan Wheatley said he ‘just got a really good feeling about the club’ after speaking to Kevin Nolan and Colin Calderwood following confirmation of his season-long loan to Sixfields.
The Manchester United striker, who doesn’t turn 20 for another six months, came onto Northampton’s radar early in the summer but it took a number of conversations with various parties before a deal was eventually confirmed this morning.
"It feels great to be here,” said the teenager, who racked up the goals for United’s Under-18s and Under-21s. “I've waited a couple of weeks to get it done but I'm here now, I've trained and I'm happy to be around the lads and the staff. Obviously it would have been better had it happened a week or two ago but we’ve got it sorted before the season started and I’m excited for the first game this weekend.”
Naturally, as a Manchester United academy graduate, Wheatley has attracted a fair bit of interest this summer, but there were two people in particular that played a pivotal role in his decision to head to Sixfields.
"It was really important I picked the right club after a difficult loan last season and I think a lot of it for me came down to the manager and Colin because they showed a lot of interest in me,” explained the England Under-19 international. “They've been interested since the start of the window, we had a few chats and I liked what I heard.
"I've also been around the club a bit – I watched the friendly last Saturday – and I just got a really good feeling about the club and both my dad and agent had a similar feeling as well. They are people I trust and it was a big thing to hear that from them so that helped make my mind up.
"From what I've heard, the gaffer's top, Colin's top and it's a great group of lads here and the club's a good club as well. It's a family club so it's been quite easy to settle in straightaway and now I'm looking forward to the season.”