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Shaun Maloney looks sure to operate an open-door policy in his new role as professional player pathway manager at Celtic – thanks to the influence of Brendan Rodgers.
The 42-year-old has rejoined the staff at the Scottish champions to replace Darren O’Dea, who left to become assistant manager at Swansea City.
His role will involve helping young players make the jump to the first-team and managing loan deals.
Maloney had two stints at Celtic as a player and was offered the chance to take charge of the B-team by Rodgers in 2017.
He stayed around for a year before leaving to join the coaching staff of the Belgian national team on a full-time basis under Roberto Martinez.
Maloney, who left the manager’s job at Wigan Athletic three months ago, spoke in detail about his relationship with Rodgers during his short time as manager of Hibs and was clear about the one thing that resonated with him from watching the Northern Irishman work – the way he was always available for meetings and talking football to help others with their duties.
Shaun Maloney has returned to Celtic to work as professional player pathway manager
Maloney has always been grateful to Brendan Rodgers, above, for the guidance he gave him
Maloney had two stints as a Celtic player and is now back to help club's young hopefuls
‘I was very fortunate,’ said Maloney. ‘It was something I took a lesson from. He had time for everyone.
‘As a young coach, at any time, I could knock on his door and ask about my own team or the performance of the first team. I will be forever grateful to Brendan for giving me the opportunity and it was an amazing year to see him work as manager.’
In a later interview with The Coaches Voice website, Maloney also detailed how that initial spell in coaching under Rodgers’ wing led to a relationship that saw the Celtic boss help him through a nightmare period at Hibs, which ended with the sack after four months.
‘The opportunity to meet Brendan Rodgers over breakfast to discuss joining his staff had come out of the blue,’ he said. ‘It was July 2017, and I’d just been forced to accept the prospect that hip surgery had ended my dream of playing for Aberdeen, my hometown club.
‘I’d been desperate to play for them but, when I realised I faced another five months on the sidelines, I knew I wouldn’t be able to give them what I wanted.
‘Celtic had drawn 0-0 with Rosenborg in the Champions League the night before. Brendan asked me some questions about the game before explaining the role he saw for me with their B team.
‘By then, he had already completely changed the professionalism and culture of the club. That made it the perfect first step for me as a coach, and at the perfect time.
‘Brendan’s coaches – Chris Davies and John Kennedy were among them – shared the same offices, and he was always really clear on the culture and standards he sets, and how he wanted his team to play. He’s a brilliant manager – tactically very good, particularly whenever I went to him with a query.
‘We’ve stayed in touch, and he was brilliant to speak with before I took the manager’s job at Hibernian – as he was during my time there and after I left. Some of the best managers are really, really gracious with their time.’
Anxious times for Celtic as Alistair Johnston is denied a proper break
Pre-season? What pre-season? The demands on elite players are becoming such that it is difficult to establish when one campaign ends and another begins.
Take Alistair Johnston, for example. International commitments have ensured that the Celtic full-back hasn’t had a meaningful break in over two years – and it might be another two before he gets one.
Last summer he made eight appearances for Canada, six of them in the Copa America. The last of those was on July 14, just three weeks before he started for Celtic in their Premiership opener against Kilmarnock.
International commitments have meant Alistair Johnston hasn't had a meaningful break in over two years
The Celtic full back is currently on duty with Canada in the CONCACAF Gold Cup
This summer, he is at it again, representing his country in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the final of which is scheduled for July 7. That will be three days after Celtic’s first pre-season friendly, against Queen’s Park.
It will be the same next summer, when Canada co-host the World Cup finals with Mexico and USA. Like many wrestling with an increasingly congested international calendar, Johnson and Celtic must be hoping the relentless schedule doesn’t take its toll.
These last few weeks have been something of a blur for the 26-year-old, who ended his domestic season by missing the last shootout penalty in Celtic’s Scottish Cup final defeat by Aberdeen.
A fortnight later, he got married and headed off on a short honeymoon to St Lucia before reporting for duty at the Gold Cup, which is co-hosted by Canada and USA.
Having missed his nation’s opening game, as well as their two pre-tournament friendlies, Johnston came on as a late substitute in their second group match, although it didn’t go as planned.
A misjudged stoppage-time clearance by the defender gifted Curacao a shock 1-1 draw, much to the delight of the minnows’ manager – 77-year-old former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat.
It was an unexpected setback for Canada but a 2-0 win against El Salvador on Tuesday night secured their place in the knockout stage, albeit after their opponents had two men sent off, one for an elbow on Johnston.
Canada went through as group leaders, while Honduras progressed from the section as runners-up thanks to a stoppage-time winner by Celtic winger Luis Palma against Curacao.
Johnston signed off for the summer with Celtic with the Scottish Cup final defeat to Aberdeen, but is still playing for his country
All of which means that Johnston could have as many as three more games to play, starting with a quarter-final match against Guatemala in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers might be forgiven for quietly hoping that Canada don’t go all the way. Or, at least, that Johnston is not exhausted or, worse still, injured in the process. The Gold Cup final is a week after Celtic return to training.
Players often refer to the physical and tactical benefits of getting a full pre-season under their belts, as though only that can set them up properly for the campaign ahead.
The worry is that more and more of them are missing out, especially at the highest level.
Nicolas Kuhn has a job on his hands to restore his good name
Nicolas Kuhn will be out to rebuild his reputation in Germany should a £15million return to RB Leipzig go through – after being branded a ‘no-name’ by one of the nation’s biggest media outlets just last year.
The 25-year-old left Leipzig for Ajax in a £1.8million deal as a teenager and was clearly forgotten about in his homeland despite returning for a two-year spell later in his career in the reserve team at Bayern Munich and a short period on loan at Erzegebirge Aue.
Celtic's Nicolas Kuhn was dismissed as a 'no-name professional' by the German press
It was at Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna where he really kick-started his career, earning a £3m-plus move to Celtic in January 2024. However, when he tore RB Leipzig apart in last season’s Champions League group stage at Parkhead, scoring two goals in a famous 3-1 win last November, big-selling newspaper Bild wasn’t exactly complimentary on filling their readers in on his back story.
They wrote: ‘In Glasgow, Leipzig was embarrassed by a German no-name professional – who, of all people, was trained in RB’s youth team.’
Kuhn has already spoken about his ambitions of winning a place in the German national side after picking up a handful of caps at Under-20 level. He has the incentive of leaving egg on some faces too. A ‘no-name’, indeed.
Help is at hand for Elena Sadiku as she tries to revive ailing women's side
Celtic are standing by Elena Sadiku, despite calls for her to be sacked after a disappointing season in charge of the women’s side.
Some supporters wanted change after a trophyless campaign in which Celtic finished fourth in the SWPL table, 15 points behind champions Hibs.
But there has been no knee-jerk reaction from the club, only the appointment of an operations director, whose job will be to provide 'strong support' to Sadiku and her backroom team.
Stewart McGuire, formerly CEO of Hibs’ women, joins Celtic after spells as Health & Wellbeing Officer with the SPFL Trust and Dunfermline Athletic’s community programme.
At Celtic, he will play ‘a crucial role in setting and delivering strategic direction and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Women’s Football department’.
Celtic clearly felt that Sadiku needed help after a tough season in charge of women's team
Stewart McGuire has been appointed operations director and will provide 'strong support' for Sadiku and her coaching team
Sadiku's team struggled to cope with the departure of Caitlin Hayes in January
If there is any prospect of Sadiku vacating her role in that set-up, there was no sign of it in the McGuire press release, which was at pains to include her name at every opportunity.
‘I’m delighted to come on board as Operations Manager of Celtic FC Women at such an exciting time for women’s football at the club,’ said McGuire.
‘Despite a challenging end to last season, the women’s side have achieved great heights in recent seasons, winning the league and reaching the Women’s Champions League group stages.
‘I’m looking forward to helping build on that success and supporting Elena and the team in every way I can, both on and off the field moving forward.'
Sadiku, for her part, said she was delighted to welcome McGuire, who is well-regarded for his recent work with the Pars Foundation. ‘His understanding of both the football and operational sides of the game in Scotland will be a great asset to our team,’ she said. ‘I’m looking forward to working closely with him to bring success to the women’s team.’
While some would welcome a fresh face in the Celtic dugout, others believe that Sadiku has earned the right to a little more time, not least because she led Celtic to the 2024 title and on to their first Champions League group stage.
The sale of Caitlin Hayes in January was a blow to Sadiku, who had little time to bring in a replacement. The head coach has also voiced frustration at the size of her budget, which she claimed was no bigger than those of Hibs and Hearts.
If McGuire’s appointment does indeed bring more support to Sadiku, as well as bigger financial backing, maybe then it will be time to make an informed judgment of the Swedish coach.
