Shaun Maloney appointed Hibernian manager with Gary Caldwell assistant

Shaun Maloney takes his first steps in management at Hibernian

Shaun Maloney reckons Hibernian is the "perfect place to start" his managerial career as he aims to build "something very special" at Easter Road.

The 38-year-old has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal, leaving his role as Belgium assistant to replace Jack Ross.

He takes charge for the first time for the Scottish Premiership visit of Aberdeen on Wednesday.

"It just felt like a challenge I couldn't turn down," said the former Celtic and Scotland player.

Maloney added: "I wasn't really looking, it was the owner [Ron Gordon] and CEO [Ben Kensell] that sold the vision. I had an exciting, inspiring meeting with them and it felt right. It's the perfect place to start and, if we are successful here, I feel like it's going to be something very special."

Maloney will be assisted by his former team-mate Gary Caldwell, who leaves his post at Manchester City's academy.

Caldwell, 39, played at Hibs before joining Celtic and later managed Wigan, Chesterfield and Partick Thistle.

David Gray, 33, took interim charge for three games, including Sunday's League Cup final defeat by Celtic and the former club captain will remain part of the backroom team along with goalkeeping coach Craig Samson, while Italian Valerio Zuddas joins as first-team coach with a conditioning brief.

Maloney was encouraged by Sunday's cup final loss to Celtic as he looks to lift the Edinburgh club from their current position of seventh in the Premiership.

"One of the big things I saw was the foundation of the team," he said. "The team have an incredible heart and we're going to need that on Wednesday.

"We have to push for top four from now until the end of the season. That has to be the goal.

"In the long run we want success in cup competitions and to get into Europe, that's a big part of what the owner wants.

"January transfer discussions will happen, but my priority is the players here. I have to give everybody a clean slate. I want to give them all the same information and let performances dictate.

"Within that, the next thing has to be the academy. There's a history there and I have to build on that. Before we look outside, we have to look inside."

Maloney started his playing career at Celtic and returned to the club after 18 months at Aston Villa before spells with Wigan, Chicago and Hull. He was capped 47 times, scoring seven Scotland goals.

He moved into coaching with Celtic's Under-20s in 2017 and joined the Belgium set-up the following year as assistant to Roberto Martinez.

"I've got an idea of what I think is the best way to win games," added Maloney. "You have to try to create a connection with the fans, you want to inspire them. With the talent we have, we want to be as attacking as possible, but football is built on a defensive foundation and you have to get that right. It's not either or, it should be a combination.

"I will be forever grateful to Roberto for last three years. He has been a really good sounding board in the past week, there was advice that allowed me to make the decision.

"I worked extremely hard, dedicating my life to the Belgian team. I will miss that connection with the players, but I'm pretty sure there will be a connection pretty quickly with this team.

"There were some very high pressurised moments and all of these experiences make you feel like you understand how to deal with them and you learn from how other people deal with them. Now I have to go on my way and make these decisions at these points. I feel ready."