Celtic could offer Shaun Maloney a coaching role in a shock return to the club.
According to the Daily Mail, Celtic are lining up Shaun Maloney for a shock return to the club, but only in a coaching role as questions over his playing career linger.
The Bhoys managed to win the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup without losing a single game last season, but Brendan Rodgers hasn’t stopped attempting to improve his squad.
Shaun Maloney fends off Stoke City’s Joe Allen
Celtic have brought in Kundai Benyu, Olivier Ntcham and Jonny Hayes to boost their playing squad, but Rodgers is now targeting improvements to his coaching staff as well.
The Daily Mail report that ex-Celtic playmaker Shaun Maloney is being lined up for a return to the club as a coach for the Bhoys’ Under-20 side.
Maloney, 34, joined Celtic as a teenager and came up through the ranks with the club, notching 37 goals in 138 games before a dismal spell with Aston Villa, where his struggled eventually led to him re-signing for Celtic in 2008.
The Scot hit 15 goals in 77 games in his second spell with the Bhoys, and then had spells with Wigan Athletic and Chicago Fire, before joining Hull City in 2015, where he notched one goal and two assists in the Premier League last season.
Shaun Maloney in action for Celtic
Maloney had been expected to join Aberdeen on a two-year deal having turned down a contract to stay with Hull, but an injury has not only put the kibosh on his move to Aberdeen, but possibly his playing career altogether.
It’s now believed that Maloney is keen on a move into coaching, and Celtic are willing to hand him a role with their Under-20’s following the departure of Jim McGuinness in June, as a potential return to Glasgow appears to be in the works for Maloney.
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