Glenn Whelan, a former Republic of Ireland international, has promised to give his all as the new coach for Livingston.
He enjoyed a distinguished playing career spanning more than 20 years, making over 700 senior appearances for clubs including Aston Villa and Stoke City and earned 91 caps for the Republic of Ireland.
A combative midfielder, he is perhaps best known for his nine-year spell with Stoke, where he made around 300 appearances in the English Premier League and helped the club reach the 2011 FA Cup Final.
The player also made 15 appearances for Hearts in the 2019-20 season and said: “I’m eager to grasp this opportunity and help build a successful team that the fans can be truly proud of and get right behind. I’m grateful to the board for their belief in me, and the hard work has already begun.”
Livingston’s sporting director, David Martindale (pictured), said he is aware that it has taken time to appoint the new man, but the club needed to make sure they got the right fit.
He added: “There was a huge amount of interest, and it wasn’t an easy decision. However, after detailed interviews, Glenn came across incredibly well, and we all feel there is real alignment between how Glenn approaches the game and how we want to do things ourselves.
“He had a top playing career and has done the hard yards at several clubs, learning the game from a coach’s point of view. He has also had spells in charge as interim manager at Wigan and within the coaching set-up at Republic of Ireland.
“His beliefs and values align very well with ours, and we are delighted to give him this opportunity, and equally delighted that he has accepted it.
“To have played close to 100 games for his country and over 300 games in the EPL shows that we are bringing in an elite mindset and an individual with a real winning mentality.”
