League One side Fleetwood Town have announced the signing of midfielder Glenn Whelan on a short-term deal, subject to international clearance.

Whelan had been a free agent following his departure from Hearts earlier this month, having made 17 appearances for the Scottish Premiership side after joining them last summer in the wake of his departure from Aston Villa at the end of the previous campaign.

The midfielder had helped Villa win promotion to the Premier League last season, and has previously made almost 300 appearances in English football's top-flight during a nine-spell with Stoke that has made up the majority of his career so far.

Whelan has also racked up 91 caps for the Republic of Ireland at senior level, representing his country at the European Championships in both 2012 and 2016.

Speaking to the club's official website following confirmation of Whelan's arrival, Fleetwood manager Joey Barton said: “When the opportunity arose to bring someone of Glenn’s experience in to our squad, we moved quickly to get the deal done.

“Glenn is hungry to play and we’re sure that he will bring the qualities that everyone knows he is capable of into our group."

Fleetwood are currently 11th in the League One standings, four points adrift of the play-off places.

The Verdict

This does have the potential to be a decent signing for Fleetwood.

Given the experience he has of both Premier League football and winning promotion, you feel Whelan could provide some useful insight for the Cod Army as they aim to make the step up into the Championship this year.

Considering the amount of time he has played at that sort of level, Whelan should also have the ability needed to make an impact in League One for Joey Barton's side.

At 36-years-old and with so much football already under his belt, it will be interesting to see whether he still has it in his legs to make that sort of contribution on the pitch during his time at Highbury.