Shaun Maloney screams ‘This is the midfield I know’ as Celtic release class Lennoxtown training footage

Add as preferred source on Google

Martin O’Neill took in his first training as the new interim Celtic boss this season.

Led by Shaun Maloney and coaches Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus put the Celtic players through their paces in preparation for the Dundee United game at the weekend.

O’Neill watched on closely and allowed his backroom team to get on with it as the players looked focused and switched on.

But there was a particular point in the video where Celtic coach Maloney was very impressed and he wasted no time in telling his midfield players all about it.

• READ MORE: Mark Guidi shares the ‘driving force’ at Celtic who sacked Wilfried Nancy, it wasn’t Dermot Desmond

Celtic players leave Shaun Maloney buzzing in Martin O’Neill’s first training session

As Celtic fans rejoice at the return of Martin O’Neill, Shaun Maloney took in the first training session as the Northern Irishman watched on.

At first glance, the Celtic players look switched on, eager and busting their backsides as Maloney and Mark Fotheringham put them through their paces.

But it was Maloney who was buzzing as he screamed at the players in delight during this seven-minute training segment Celtic posted on YouTube.

The sheer work rate the players were being asked to put in was clear and it was obvious is that they look more switched on than ever before.

Let’s hope that intensity and enthusiasm is present in Celtic’s next fixture against Dundee United this week.

Key moments from Celtic’s training footage fans will notice

The training under O’Neill and Maloney sends a clear message to the players. There will be demands from them from now until the end of the season that they have not experienced yet.

At 02:18 Maloney can be heard telling players to ‘stay tight’ and work on their ‘connections’. Something that was clearly missing under Nancy.

At 04:15 Gavin Strachan can be seen telling the players how to win the ball back in midfield without being ‘too expansive’ with the emphasis being on closing down the gaps in the middle of the park.

In the video, at 05:48, there is a high-tempo session where the players are working extremely hard and finally on 04:20 there are clear instructions that the 3-4-3 system is being completely abandoned by O’Neill.