Out-foxed star on Hull mission
Sunday Mail
Shaun Maloney lost one pathway to Premier League glory when Leicester failed to sign him last January.
Now, 18 months on, the Scotland playmaker is vowing to make the most of his third crack at England’s top flight.
Maloney admits he made a mistake crossing the Atlantic for Chicago Fire after his move to the Foxes fell through.
And it has left him more determined than ever to make up for lost time with a World Cup campaign coming and a return to the Match of the Day spotlight with Hull.
The ex-Aston Villa and Wigan midfielder said: “I don’t really think, ‘ What if?’ about Leicester but I do feel better equipped going back to the Premier now, certainly experience-wise.
“It won’t be new or unknown this time or something I’d fear. I just have to spend the summer getting in a condition where I can really challenge to get back in the team.
“Pretty much since Scotland got knocked out in the qualifiers it’s been a bit stop-start for me, so my
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goal is to start the season on an even keel with all the other players.”
Maloney spent just seven months playing in the MLS but it’s a stint he feels has left him playing catch-up since joining the Tigers.
The 33-year-old said: “If I’d stayed there for the period I was meant to I’m sure I wouldn’t have been near the Scotland team.
“So the way it’s worked out, I couldn’t have asked for much better.
“The first game I came back for was Gibraltar at Hampden and the toll the journey had on me meant in the second half I was physically nowhere near what I should have been. You don’t want to get to the stage where you’re letting your team-mates down.”