Celtic icon backs former Hoops teammate for key behind the scenes role but 'can't see' managerial appointment
Martin O’Neill’s number two has been recommended for a behind the scenes role at the club
Celtic hero Aiden McGeady thinks Shaun Maloney should be the next Head of Operations at the club - but ‘can’t see’ him being appointed manager once Martin O’Neill leaves at the end of the season.
The former Celtic and Wigan man has been taking training sessions as O’Neill’s assistant since January when the pair were re-hired at the club. They’ve now steered Celtic to a position where they can win the title on Saturday at home to Hearts despite trailing them in the standings since they returned.
McGeady, who was a teammate of Maloney’s at Celtic for five years as a player, believes his old pal would be a perfect fit for the Head of Operations role. The position, which specialises in recruitment, was previously occupied by Paul Tisdale - the man responsible for the disastrous appointment of Wilfried Nancy. Maloney had a similar job title at the club in June 2025, when he was appointed Players Pathway Manager. McGeady thinks his experience could help Celtic move forward.
Maloney perfect for background role - but not manager
Despite McGeady’s endorsement of Maloney as Head of Operations, the former winger would like to see someone else come in as O’Neill’s successor. When asked on Go Radio if he thinks Maloney would be the right fit for the job, he responded: “If I’m being totally honest, I can’t see it. Because, I think Shaun took over after Wigan. He took over as Player Pathways Manager.
“Very very quickly, [he] took over as interim assistant to Martin O’Neill. I think, if a new manager comes in, in my opinion, Shaun will either stay on the coaching staff, or I think Shaun will possibly be the new director of football, or, head of football operations. Celtic don’t do directors of football, so head of football operations. I think if Shaun was offered the Celtic job, he would 100% take it, of course he would. But in my opinion, I think there’ll be another manager in there.”
McGeady backs Parkhead man in the know
While Maloney’s official title currently is assistant manager, according to McGeady, he’s also been involved in recruitment - both for players and staff - as well as taking sessions at Lennoxtown. He continued: “Because the things that I know inside Celtic [are] that everyone’s very happy with how Shaun’s been doing and how he’s been handling things.
“Because Shaun’s got a lot of different roles there at the minute, he’s not just assistant to Martin O’Neill. I think, effectively, Shaun kind of put the coaching staff together alongside Martin. And he’s been in charge of the recruitment, as well, in January. As we said, there’s no head of football operations in there anymore, with Paul Tisdale being gone. Nancy was, I think, Tisdale’s appointment as well.”
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