In the summer, when Celtic were still looking for a new manager, one of the names the club were linked was Roberto Martinez. He has been the national team manager of Belgium for a considerable length of time but has not been able to guide their Golden generation to an international title. A move to Parkhead always felt unlikely though and it was not a huge surprise when it did not materialise.
Shaun Maloney, who was a part of Martinez’s coaching staff, was linked with the Celtic job as well before Ange Postecoglou was appointed. Since then, he has been appointed as the Hibernian manager though.
And one has to admit that he has made a bright start to life at Hibernian as manager. Maloney has always been very highly-rated and Celtic must keep an eye on him for the future.
It is clear that Martinez rates Maloney very highly as well and he believes that he will build a team at Hibernian with the mentality of competing against Celtic and the Rangers. As reported by The Scottish Sun, the Belgian national team manager said:
“Shaun will build a strong team, one with the mentality to compete against the Old Firm and make it a really successful story.
“What you’re going to see is him getting the very best out of Hibernian’s players.
“That’s two wins already. I’ve no doubt he’s already making an impact on Hibernian’s results.”
Martinez makes big Celtic and Rangers claim
It is safe to say that Maloney has made a promising start to life in the Hibernian managerial hot seat but now, it will be about keeping up the performances and results.
He does not have the easiest job in the world, with Hibernian struggling this season. But consequently, it also means that he will also get some time to get things right, which is something that every manager needs.
It will be interesting to see how the former Celtic star does as the manager of Hibernian. The early signs have been good and many believe that he has the potential to be a big success. The Hoops should have a keener eye on things than most.
This article was originally posted here