Shaun Maloney Takes on Key Role with Celtic's Attack

Shaun Maloney is stepping out of the shadows and into the penalty box.

The Celtic assistant manager has confirmed he will take on a far more hands-on role with the club’s attacking players this season, as Martin O’Neill reshapes his backroom team.

Maloney, speaking after Celtic’s Scottish Premiership clash with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on 9 August, outlined how his day-to-day responsibilities are changing following the departures of Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace.

The former Celtic midfielder will now lead the individual post-match work with the forwards, a key part of the club’s attacking preparation that had been overseen by Strachan and Wallace.

“I have picked up the individual work with the attacking players after games,” Maloney 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 shift puts Maloney right at the heart of one of the fiercest battles in O’Neill’s squad: the fight for places in the forward line.

Competition is sharpening. Yang Hyun-jun, Jota, James Forrest, Sebastian Tounekti and summer signing Camilo Duran are all pushing for minutes in the attacking roles, with Haissem Hassan expected to add yet another option out wide. Every training session, every video review, every extra drill after a game now carries added weight.

And the brief from the manager is crystal clear.

O’Neill wants his wide players on the front foot, taking on defenders whenever Celtic engineer one-on-one situations. No safety-first recycling, no hiding on the touchline. Risk is not just tolerated; it is demanded.

Explaining that approach, 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.”

For the likes of Yang, Jota and Forrest, that message is an invitation to attack relentlessly. For Maloney, it is a challenge to sharpen those instincts on the training ground and in the quiet analysis after the final whistle.

The margins in Celtic’s title push will be fine. Maloney’s new, hands-on role with the forwards is designed to tilt those margins in green and white.