Celtic development coach Shaun Maloney has revealed that he and his staff have been given a template to replicate by senior manager Brendan Rodgers so that more players can find their way to the first team.
The 34-year-old has himself been part of the Celtic academy, having joined the Bhoys as a 16-year-old in 1999, and then going on to make a total of 251 appearances for the club across two different spells, scoring 52 goals.
And now the former Wigan man is hoping to help Celtic's junior players to follow the same path as they look to break into the first team.
According to Maloney, senior manager Rodgers has provided the academy with his ideas, which they now have to follow and make sure the young players can get through.
“Brendan Rodgers has given us a template and it’s his style and ideas that we have to try and replicate in the Under-20s and make sure that the players coming through make it into the first team and stay there", Maloney told his club's official website.
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“I’m really excited and I know what I have to do.
"The main goal is to try and get as many players through the academy and into the first-team as possible, and hopefully they can stay there and be part of a club which has another amazing season."
As far as the training schedule at the academy is concerned, the development coach said that the intensity and work rate shown by the Bhoys hopefuls have both been very good.
“Training-wise, the intensity has been really good.
"Their work-rate has been really good. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and now it’s obviously my job, assisting Tommy [McIntyre] and the team, in order to get the manager’s ideas across.”
