Scoring regularly for our title-winning Under-18s and Under-21s in 2023/24, Wheatley’s form was rewarded with a senior call-up, being named among the substitutes in the first-team’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth and FA Cup semi-final against Coventry in April.

One day after getting a brace in the final of the U18 Premier League Cup final, Wheatley made his senior debut for the Reds against Sheffield United on Wednesday 24 April, becoming the club’s landmark 250th Academy graduate.

Wheatley appeared twice more before the end of the season and was included in the Reds’ pre-season tour of the United States in July 2024.