Whelan offers Heskey a way out of his Villa dilemma

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Wigan Athletic owner, Dave Whelan, claims England striker Emile Heskey would be welcome back at the DW Stadium if he were to leave Aston Villa. Heskey, who left Wigan for Villa in January, has admitted he may need to move on again in order to preserve his place in the England squad for the World Cup.

The 31-year-old former Liverpool, Birmingham and Leicester forward has been unable to command a regular starting place since his £3.5m switch to Villa Park. Whelan said: "I have a great deal of sympathy for him – he is one wonderful footballer. When he is on the park you know you are going to get 110 per cent from Emile. I thought he was fantastic for us but he was coming to the end of his contract and he wanted to move on so I honoured that."