‘He will bring class’ – Brown claims 34-yr-old has been at Celtic ahead of reported coach offer
By Danny Wright
Scott Brown has claimed that Shaun Maloney has attended a Celtic training session ahead of reportedly being offered a coaching role at Parkhead.
The Daily Mail reported that the 34-year-old was being considered by the Hoops as their next Under-20s coach following Jim McGuinness’ departure from the role as he moved to China.
It was understood that Aberdeen were close to signing Maloney as a player following his release from Hull at the end of last season, but the winger confessed to having an injury problem which halted any potential move being finalised.
Brown, 32, played alongside Maloney for a few years before he left Glasgow to join Wigan in 2011, who were in the English Premier League at the time.
The Bhoys captain has now made it clear what exactly Maloney could offer to the Scottish treble winners if he was to join up with the backroom staff.
“He was in looking at the facilities and seeing the gaffer’s coaching,” said Brown to Sky Sports on Sunday, as quoted by the Scottish Sun.
“The wee man would be brilliant. I had some great times with him. He will bring class.”
The Daily Mail reported that Maloney was on the verge of penning a two-year deal with Aberdeen before he flagged up his injury concern.
Derek McInnes is still keen on snapping up the Scottish free agent, who barely featured for Hull last season as they suffered relegation from the Premier League.
Maloney managed to score one goal and supply five assists in just 14 appearances across all competitions.
Football Insider Verdict
It looks like Maloney has already met up with Celtic over potentially becoming their new Under-20s coach. This would be a big blow for Aberdeen, who seemed like they were very eager to add Maloney to their ranks ahead of the Scottish Premiership season kicking off this weekend. The Dons will now have to shift their focus on to someone else, unless the 34-year-old has opted to continue his playing career. The injury that he flagged up before signing for Aberdeen will probably impact his decision the most. If he feels like he cannot continue playing then it definitely makes sense to have a third spell with Celtic. However his stats at Hull last season showed that he can still prove a neat addition to any side’s attack force.
In other Celtic news, this forward is the next player that is most likely to sign for the Hoops.
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