Former Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney has briefly reflected on the time he spent coaching at the club under ex-boss Brendan Rodgers.
The 39-year-old is now around six years into coaching career after bringing his playing days to an end back in 2017 during a spell at Hull City.
Maloney has already had some high-profile roles as an assisting coach and manager at the Belgian National team and Hibernian.
He spent around three years working with a ‘golden generation’ of Belgium players as part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching staff.
However, before he took up the position alongside his former Wigan manager, Maloney spent a short spell at Parkhead as the Hoops B team boss.
In a recent interview, the Celtic academy graduate opened up on how the role came about during Brendan Rodgers tenure as boss, praising the old Bhoys manager and his coaching staff.
Maloney also reflected on how his role with Belgium came to fruition after meeting with Martinez, initially believing he was going to discuss Hoops defender Dedryck Boyata.
He said [Coaches Voice]: “The invitation from Roberto Martinez to join his coaching staff with Belgium was so unexpected that I thought he was calling me to ask about Dedryck Boyata.
“It was August 2018. Boyata was at Celtic, and I was coaching the club’s B team. Graeme Jones had recently left for West Brom, and Roberto knew that Thierry Henry was also going to leave – so he offered me a role as one of the assistants with the national team.
“I gave him a pretty quick answer. Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany were elite players and some of the best in their positions. Working alongside Roberto at that level represented an incredible step up.
“I started by trying to do both roles, but the way I wanted to go about my position with Belgium meant it proved impossible. I had to sacrifice my work with Celtic.”
He continued: “It was July 2017, and I’d just been forced to accept the prospect that hip surgery had ended my dream of playing for Aberdeen, my hometown club. I’d been desperate to play for them, but when I realised I faced another five months on the sidelines I knew I wouldn’t be able to give them what I wanted.
“Celtic had drawn 0-0 with Rosenborg in the Champions League the night before. Brendan asked me some questions about the game before explaining the role he saw for me with their B team.
“By then he had already completely changed the professionalism and culture of the club. That made it the perfect first step for me as a coach and at the perfect time.
“Brendan’s coaches – Chris Davies and John Kennedy were among them – shared the same offices, and he was always really clear on the culture and standards he sets and how he wanted his team to play. He’s a brilliant manager – tactically very good, particularly whenever I went to him with a query.
“We’ve stayed in touch, and he was brilliant to speak with before I took the manager’s job at Hibernian – as he was during my time there and after I left.”
Shaun Maloney will be aiming to use experiences of previous roles to build back up coaching career.
In his relatively short coaching career, Maloney already has quite an impressive CV with coaching roles at Celtic and the Belgium national side.
However, his latest role and first job in management at Hibernian didn’t exactly go to plan, lasting only a matter of months.
So Maloney will now be looking to build back up his reputation as a manager and coach.
There isn’t much doubt about Maloney’s coaching abilities, and most of those who have worked under or alongside him have only good things to say.
As he aims to find the right role to talk the step back into management, I am sure he will be looking to use all of his early experiences to help.
He might only have had a brief stay at Parkhead as B team boss. But he has nothing but good things to say and seems to have enjoyed his first step into the world of coaching.
In other news, “They embrace it”; Celtic boss left pleased with progress of Bhoys duo.
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