Headline: Stockport County Manager Appeals for Oliver Whatmuff’s Release from England Under-20 Duty
Stockport County manager Jimmy McNulty urgently requested England Under-20 coach Darren Moore to allow goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff to participate in Saturday’s match against Reading after the player received an international call-up.
Whatmuff, a 19-year-old on loan from Manchester City, made his Under-20 debut in September with a game against Italy and has since represented England in matches against France and Germany.
In a recent FA Cup match, Whatmuff was substituted in the first half due to Luca Ashby-Hammond’s red card, which left County needing a new goalkeeper for their upcoming League One clash with Reading. Following the game against Isthmian League side Cray Wanderers, McNulty mentioned that Whatmuff took the lead in deciding to withdraw from the international squad.
“He was among four players who opted out of Moore’s squad for the upcoming fixtures against Czechia and Portugal,” McNulty noted.
“I called him [Darren Moore], begging him to help us out,” the manager told BBC Radio Manchester.
In the interview, McNulty expressed his gratitude to Moore for understanding the predicament posed by Ashby-Hammond’s suspension. “I know he’s been a Football League manager, and to be fair to Darren, he’s a lovely person, and he was very empathetic towards that situation,” McNulty added.
He continued, “We had planned for Luca [Ashby-Hammond] to play the games, but the red card changed all that. We would have been exploring the emergency market had England, and Darren, not been so accommodating.”
Whatmuff, who is regarded as a promising talent at Manchester City, has made 15 appearances for Stockport this season. He previously played for McNulty at Rochdale, where he helped the team earn promotion through the National League play-offs.
McNulty praised Whatmuff’s dedication, stating, “He [Oliver] was the guy who led it [the decision to withdraw]. It means his heart is in the right place towards his team-mates. Essentially putting his team-mates here ahead of his country – I thought that was a brilliant sign of a squad that’s together.”
Currently, County stands in second place in League One, and a win this weekend could bring them level on points with leaders Huddersfield. McNulty acknowledged the talent of Reading’s team, led by manager Leam Richardson, noting, “They’re talented, they score a lot of goals, so [it’s a game between] two attacking teams with slightly different dynamics. I think it will be a very good game which should represent top League One quality from both teams.”
In addition, McNulty confirmed that defender Jay Mingi sustained a severe hamstring injury against Cray, requiring surgery, and will miss future matches.
