Battle-hardened Belgium in no mood to take foot off the gas, warns Red Devils coach

THEY may carry the Red Devils moniker but according to former Scotland internationalist Shaun Maloney, Belgium’s real menace is all consigned to their purity of thought.

Scotland have already felt their menace; a 4-0 defeat in a ‘friendly’ a year ago was the heaviest loss inflicted on home soil since 1973 and while the performance was better when the teams met in June for the first leg of this European qualifying section, the 3-0 defeat in Brussels was a just reflection of the quality within the Belgian side.

According to Maloney, the Belgian squad will focus on their collective rather than their individual talents.

‘People always ask me about the players but my honest answer is that they are very humble,’ said Maloney.

‘They work hard. They are world-class talents but they are a really hard-working group.

‘They have an amazing talent but they are demanding of themselves and of each other in training — and it has been such a positive experience for me to come here and work with them.

‘They have a tremendous attitude and will to win. They want to learn and they want to get better — and as a coach that is great to work with.’

With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois, there is a feeling that Belgium, currently No1 in the FIFA rankings, have produced an accomplished crop of players capable of rivalling the likes of that venerated team who lost the final of the 1980 European Championships to West Germany.

That they will run away with top spot in Group I seems like a formality with the rest left to slug it out for a runners-up spot. Maloney would love to see a few familiar faces at next summer’s European Championships but he has

admitted that he

They are world-class talents but they are also hard-working can’t afford too much time indulging in any sentimentality.

‘We are in the middle of a campaign and the remit is for Belgium to qualify and to top the group,’ he said. ‘Of course I would love to see Scotland get to a major tournament. I spent a lot of my time trying to achieve that very aim myself as a player, so I will never lose the appetite of wanting to see that come to fruition. But, for me, I need to stay focused on what my own role is within Belgium.’

And there is no danger of any conflict when the national anthems get going tonight.

‘I love Hampden and I love its history,’ said Maloney, who was capped 47 times for his country. ‘As a player, I loved the national anthem and lining up for it — I still do — but at this stage of my professional life it is about staying focused and appreciating that I am being paid for a certain job.’

This time a year ago Maloney had just eased himself in alongside Thierry Henry and Roberto Martinez after leaving his coaching role with Celtic. If much has changed for the 36-year-old, Scotland’s personnel, apart from the manager, remains essentially the same.

Maloney, though, is wary of thinking he goes into the game without the application of the diligence that has been his hallmark throughout his career.

‘I am not too sure that I can predict exactly how Scotland will approach it,’ said Maloney. ‘Every manager has his own way of working and I don’t know how Steve will want to go about it.

‘But it has been nice to see James (Forrest) get some recognition for what he has achieved. He has been excellent for both club and country and he has been exceptionally consistent, too.

‘But it is not just all about James. Ryan Christie has gone on to another level over the last six months. A few weeks back I took in an Aston Villa game and thought that John McGinn really shone.’