Shaun Maloney Takes Hands-On Role with Celtic Attackers

Shaun Maloney is stepping out of the shadows and into Celtic’s front line – literally.

The assistant manager has confirmed he will take a far more hands-on role with the club’s attackers this season, picking up the detailed, one-to-one work that used to belong to Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace in Martin O’Neill’s backroom team.

Maloney, speaking after Celtic’s Premiership clash with Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on 9 August, explained that his day-to-day focus is shifting from the office to the grass.

“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.”

Strachan’s departure and Wallace’s move to Saudi Arabia alongside Rodgers have left a gap in the very specific, technical attention Celtic’s forwards receive after matches. Maloney, a former Celtic playmaker who built his reputation on craft in the final third, will now fill that space.

And the timing is no accident.

A crowded frontline, a sharper edge

Competition for places in Celtic’s attacking line is hardening. Yang Hyun-jun, Jota, James Forrest, Sebastian Tounekti and summer signing Camilo Duran are all jostling for minutes, with Haissem Hassan poised to add another option for O’Neill out wide.

In that kind of environment, the small details matter. Extra sessions after games. Individual clips. A quiet word on timing, body shape, or the angle of a run. That is the territory Maloney is moving into.

His remit dovetails directly with O’Neill’s demands from his wide players. The manager has been clear: risk is not just allowed, it is required.

Explaining O’Neill’s philosophy, 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.”

So the message is blunt. Get the ball. Face up your man. Go.

With more attackers than starting shirts and an assistant now dedicated to sharpening that edge, Celtic’s wide players know exactly what is expected. The only question left is who can live with that level of demand – and who can turn O’Neill’s licence to attack into decisive moments when it matters.