Shaun Maloney Takes Charge of Celtic's Attack
Shaun Maloney is stepping out of the shadows and into the firing line of Celtic’s attack.
The assistant manager has confirmed he will take a far more hands-on role with the club’s forwards this season, filling the gap left by Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace in Martin O’Neill’s reshaped backroom team.
Maloney, speaking after Celtic’s Scottish Premiership clash with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, explained that his remit is shifting from background work to direct, individual coaching with the attackers.
“I have picked up the individual work with the attacking players after games,” he told The Herald. “Last season it was Gavin Strachan who did that. I can't take any credit for that! We also had Greg Wallace, who went to Saudi with Brendan Rodgers recently, and those two were really good with the individual stuff. I was doing things away from the pitch more, so I will pick more of that up this season.
“Stephen McManus and Mark Fotheringham do their stuff with different positions, but it was Gav and Greg who did the attacking work.”
That attacking work has rarely been more important. Celtic’s front line is loaded and restless.
Yang Hyun-jun, Jota, James Forrest, Sebastian Tounekti and summer signing Camilo Duran are all jostling for minutes in the wide and advanced roles, with Haissem Hassan poised to add yet another dimension to O’Neill’s options. Every training session is an audition. Every substitute appearance, a test.
Maloney's New Brief
Maloney’s new brief drops him right into the middle of that battle. His task is clear: sharpen the edges, refine decision-making, and turn competition into end product.
O’Neill has already set the tone for how he wants his wide players to behave. Caution is out. Confrontation is in.
Explaining the manager’s demands, Maloney said: “Martin is really aggressive in that he wants wingers to take on their opponent when we create a one-v-one.
“He gives the wingers the confidence that they can do that and that they shouldn't worry about losing it.”
It’s a simple message, but a bold one. Take your man on. Risk the ball. Live with the mistakes.
For Maloney, a former Celtic winger who built his own career on sharp movement and brave attacking play, there is a natural symmetry in now being the one to drive that mentality into the next wave. With O’Neill calling for relentless one-v-one aggression and a deep pool of forwards fighting for their place, his influence on the training pitch will help decide who thrives – and who slips down the pecking order.
