Belgium manager Roberto Martinez believes Shaun Maloney will be a major asset for Belgian football.
The World Cup semi-finalists announced that Maloney, who played under Martinez at Wigan, was joining the Red Devils’ coaching staff.
The 35-year-old will combine the role with his work as a youth coach at Celtic.
Martinez believes Maloney, who grew up in Aberdeen, has a huge amount to offer.
He said: “I know the person, the footballer and the potential coach.
“Every coach has to start somewhere and the big advantage I have with Shaun is that I know his career inside out.
“I tried to sign him a few times until I got him to Wigan from Celtic.
“I knew the type of player that he was and you get to know the person behind it and you know the way he thinks about the game, the way he thinks about players and he will become a great coach one day.
“For now it’s an opportunity and one that after a few days I already feel that will be very influential for us.
“Shaun can be a great asset for Belgian football in general.
“I had no doubt about what he could bring.
“It’s a role he knows well in that he knows how I work having experienced that as a player and he can bring his own touch to the role.”
Maloney, capped 47 times by Scotland, will enjoy the familiar surroundings of Hampden this evening for his first game in his new role when Belgium take on Alex McLeish’s side in a friendly.
Martinez said: “I’m sure that one anthem won’t get mixed up with the other.
“We all know that Shaun is a very proud Scotsman but in this case nationality doesn’t play a part.“We will never take away Shaun’s feelings and what he has for Scotland.
“But he’s a professional and while he’s developing as a coach this will help him grow into his career path.
“Shaun was always a very special British player, quite unique in that respect because of his awareness of space and his technical ability.
“When you bring that into the coaching side then it brings a lot of experiences and can be a good mixture.
“He created some big moments for me at Wigan from scoring the winning goal against Manchester United to delivering the corner for our goal to win the FA Cup at Wembley.
“He’s a footballer who has given me a lot as a player and I know he can do the same in his coaching career.”
