Whilst playing for Stretford Boys, Whelan was spotted by Manchester United scout Joe Armstrong and invited to sign associated schoolboy forms in 1967.
In February 1973, Whelan was on the verge of signing for Bolton Wanderers when his mother received a phone call from Manchester City manager Malcolm Allison.
In the second season he became, jointly with Clive Charles of Cardiff City, the first black player to receive a PFA divisional award being named by his fellow pros in their all-star team.
Whelan was also selected for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "All Strikers Team" (1 December 1983) which included George Best, Gerd Müller, Teófilo Cubillas and Brian Kidd.
In March 2008, The Voice included him on a list of the 30 most influential black people in English football in recognition of his work developing elite young players.
In 2015, Whelan successfully completed a professional doctorate entitled "Pastoral Care of Premier League Academy Schoolboy Footballers (with particular reference to Manchester United)".
[3] In July 2020, Whelan received the Eamonn Dolan award from the Premier League for his role in the Manchester United academy and his contribution to youth coaching.