Corey Whelan says the way Carlisle United made him feel wanted was a key factor in his decision to join the Blues.

The ex-Liverpool defender became the Cumbrians’ third summer signing on Wednesday when he agreed a two-year deal.

The 23-year-old said he got a good feeling about United after the way the club made it crystal clear they were keen to have him on board.

Whelan says he is now looking forward to establishing himself at Brunton Park.

“It didn’t take me long to make my mind up because I think it’s going to be a really good move for me,” he said. “It’s a new chapter in my life and I’m ready for it. I want to be successful personally and I want the club to do well at the same time.

“It was just how quickly people [at Carlisle] were reaching out to me. Within a day I was in front of the manager in a hotel having a coffee and chatting about normal stuff.

“That goes a long way for me, feeling wanted somewhere. Maybe I could have waited to see if there was something a little bit more local for me but I’ve always thought that when something feels right you’ve got to go for it.”

Whelan said his meeting with Chris Beech on Monday convinced him that United were “a club that’s going in the right direction, and I want to be part of it.”

He added: “When you sit in front of a manager it’s important you get a good feeling for what they want to do going forward.

“Sometimes you sit in a meeting and don’t really take things in if you aren’t interested, but I was intrigued during the whole meeting. He knows where he wants the club to be and he’s shown where the club can be during the first half of last season.

“I think this group of players and what we’ve got here already is something I can be a big part of. Through speaking to other people I’ve heard good things about [Beech] and he said all of the right things when I sat in front of him. He spoke about how the team plays and how ambitious he is about where he wants us to go, and that’s similar for me at the age I’m at now.

“I just feel like Carlisle is the right place for me. It was nice to walk away [from that meeting] knowing the manager and club wanted me.”

He was the second former Wigan player in successive days to join the club, following team-mate Zach Clough to Cumbria.

Whelan has an impressive club pedigree having come through the ranks at Liverpool from the age of 10, later spending time on loan with Yeovil and Crewe before a spell in the USA with Phoenix Rising.

A return to England brought a half-season spell with Wigan last term, before he was released along with Clough. The chance for the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international to make his name in a Carlisle shirt now clearly appeals.

“I’m really excited. It’s a place that isn’t round the corner for me in terms of location but it’s about what the club can bring for me as I move forward with my career,” he said.

“I just want to get in front of the fans and showcase what I can do. This is potentially a great time for me so I’m really pleased to get it over the line.

“I’m excited to meet up with the lads and get on with pre-season. I think it’s important that I’m done already with the contract so that I can start to form connections and I’m not playing catch-up. I’m in somewhere from day one and I get on with it. I’m just glad that I’m here.”

Whelan is known as a ball-player but knows League Two will not reward any defender that neglects the more rugged side of the game.

“I like having the ball and I class myself that I can play,” he said. “But first and foremost I’m a defensive minded player so I’m competitive and very passionate about what I do.

“Everyone is in a better place if you’re winning games, so I enjoy that side of it.”

Whelan says he can be adaptable in different defensive positions, having also played in midfield, and is ready to forge a positive career in Cumbria.

“I think I’m at an age where I really want to get the ball rolling again,” he added. “I’ve obviously been away in America so I just want to come back and show what I’m about again.

“I know what I can do as a player and I just need to be given a platform where I can show that. If I’m doing the right things on and off the pitch then I think this club can give me that.

“There’s healthy competition for places here and you understand that as a player. I’m ready to hit the ground running, and I’m sure the rest of the lads feel that way as well.

“I’m really looking forward to the challenge and meeting everybody, and seeing the stadium has reinforced that it’s a club I want to be part of. When we were doing the deal it wasn’t a case of, ‘Let me think about it’, it was a case of, ‘Let’s get this done’.”

Pre-season training awaits – while Whelan, like most players, is eager to play in front of fans again after the strange, quarantined 2020/21 Covid campaign.

“It’s been a weird time for everyone over this past year or 14 months, but there are bigger things going on in the world,” he said.

“We’re passionate about what we do as footballers and I think it’s been important for the fans that we’ve carried on.

“They’ll be really looking forward to being back and we’ll want to do well for them.”