The view from the EPL: how Shaun Maloney would benefit Chicago Fire and MLS

The league has had its fair share of Scots over the years but the dynamic playmaker is comfortably the most talented

“The wee man’s magic,” gushed Scotland manager Gordon Strachan after a goal from Shaun Maloney, the wee man in question, in a pivotal Euro 2016 qualifier against Republic of Ireland. The goal, a short-corner routine trimmed with back heel flicks and nutmegs, was something special. In an age that counts brilliance in retweets and Vine loops, Maloney – an old-fashioned, playmaking dynamo – made his mark.

It was fitting that Maloney should score the most important goal of Scotland’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign to date, given how he has been at the forefront of the country’s resurgence under Strachan, scoring twice and forcing an own goal in four fixtures last year. It’s little wonder, then that the playmaker has his suitors this January. Or rather, had his suitors.

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from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/1CT6T83