Malaysian-born Maloney joined in a £1m move just seconds before the January 2007 transfer window closed. He penned a three and a half year deal.

He is a product of Celtic's youth system and made his debut for the Hoops in the Old Firm derby in April 2001, shortly after joining the club.

He sustained cruciate ligament damage to his knee in February 2004 in a Scotland under-21 match and this ruled him out of action until the following February but since then Maloney has stepped up a gear.

The 24-year-old made history by becoming the first player in Scotland in win the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards for his performances in 2005-06.

Maloney made his full debut for his country in their 1-0 defeat against Belarus although he is expected to be a fixture in the national side for years to come.

He is generally deployed as an attacking midfielder or striker. He has tremendous pace and a great eye for a goal.