Maloney can become the golden Bhoy, says Hartson

INJURED Celtic striker John Hartson believes young understudy Shaun Maloney has all the necessary attributes to take over from him in the UEFA Cup final.

The Wales international was ruled out of the Seville clash with Porto because of a slipped disc at the weekend, leaving the way open for the Scotland U-21 international to take over.

But Hartson insists nobody will be surprised if the 20-year-old is selected to start by manager Martin O’Neill. He said: “Someone will be the hero on Wednesday night and I’d love it to be one of our boys. If Shaun was to be called upon it wouldn’t be a problem for him.