Martin O'Neill might be set to take charge of Celtic for the last time ever this weekend, when he takes on Hibernian this weekend. To be very honest, we would have liked to see him remain at the club until the Scottish League Cup final. The Northern Irishman has built up some impressive momentum since coming in and there is a risk that it could be derailed if he leaves right now.
But it does look like the club have made their decision. If everything goes well, Wilfried Nancy could be appointed as the new manager of Celtic by next week.
Nancy does not have any experience of managing in Europe though. Then there is the pressure that comes with life at Celtic Park, which is something only a select few can deal with.
So, Nancy would be smart to keep some coaches around who have experience of dealing with that pressure. And who better than Shaun Maloney. While O'Neill might be set to leave, the Frenchman has been told to bring the other interim manager back in a coaching capacity.
Wilfried Nancy tipped to bring back Celtic hero as coach
As reported by the Daily Record, Nigel Reo-Coker said:
"I don't know the inner workings of it, but Martin O'Neill might not be there, but I know that Shaun Maloney went there. He has played there, had opportunities to manage, and is a player I know very well. Wilfried Nancy would do very well to keep Shaun Maloney next to him.
"He will have more inside knowledge of Celtic, the football club, that will benefit Wilfried Nancy."
It has been reported in the media that Kwame Ampadu is set to join Nancy at Celtic. But who will be the other coaches at the club?
Well, it would make sense for one of them to be Maloney. In fact, one has to wonder if that has been the plan all along. He might have returned to the club with the aim of having a coaching role, when his interim stint came to an end, which was always expected to be a brief one.
Let's see how things play out from here. But keeping Maloney around would be a smart move on the part of Nancy for sure.