Shaun Maloney has hit back at claims that he holds the same power as Martin O’Neill behind the scenes at Celtic.

As a manager who has taken charge of over 100 games in his own right, Maloney’s role in the dugout back at Parkhead has been the subject of speculation.

Pundits have claimed that Celtic do not look like an O’Neill team, claiming as a result that his more modern-thinking assistant has his fingertips all over the team’s tactical approach.

Addressing these claims, Maloney couldn’t have been clearer: this isn’t true. Even at the age of 74 with over 100 games managed under his belt, O’Neill is calling all the shots.

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Shaun Maloney on Martin O’Neill: ‘He leads everything’

Directly responding to the rumours, Maloney said: “I have no idea why somebody would say that. If they came into the building and watched us each day, Martin leads everything. Recruitment, team selection, tactical.

“I think Martin’s actually said all this. He’s said he takes responsibility, whether it’s win  or lose. Even back 25 years ago, Martin very much would observe training sessions. 

“There would be certain things where he would step in. It’s exactly the same here. He observes the majority of training, but when there’s something that he wants to put across to the players, he steps in.

“It’s how he works and it’s pretty much exactly how it was in the early 2000s. So, yeah, whoever says that obviously hasn’t worked with him or spoken to him.”

On his own time back at the club, he continued: “For family reasons, I came in as head of loans, which I did not expect to love as much as I did. You get very invested in the players trying to break through or who are out on loan.

“The idea was to spend a couple of seasons trying to help what I could here, and then eventually go back in as coach and manager. That changed in October when things were tough here. So I will figure all of that out at the end of the season.

“Myself, the boss and Mark Fotheringham are all signed for this year. Let’s see what the season has in store, because two weeks ago it was a really different period.

“We have to keep our heads down and try to keep winning. It’s an amazing experience you get at this club. Obviously I played here, and we had an amazing experience last year as well.

“To work here and feel the magnitude of three defeats in a week, to go through that and deal with it, there are not many clubs that have that much scrutiny and intensity on staff.

“It has been some experience so far. We have a big battle domestically. Rangers are a strong side. So ask me at the end of the season.”