Never go back. It is the plaintive cry of countless players and managers who have returned to former clubs only to watch their careers run aground.

Never go back. It is the plaintive cry of countless players and managers who have returned to former clubs only to watch their careers run aground. Shaun Maloney's 62-minute contribution against Falkirk on Saturday was an eloquent rebuke to that school of thought. The 25-year-old began his second spell at Celtic with an eye-catching performance, including two assists, in his side's 3-0 clubbing of John Hughes's side.

The attacker admitted before the match to being nervous about the reaction of the Celtic supporters to his return but was given a rapturous reception when he replaced Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink after 28 minutes. Maloney left Celtic in January of last year after a long-running contract stand-off but failed to hold down a first-team place during his 18-month spell in the Midlands.

He has rejoined a team in rude health. Celtic won their third league title in a row last year and have the prospect of Champions League football to look forward to.

Andy Walker rejoined Celtic in 1994 after spells with Bolton and Sheffield United but, unlike Maloney, walked into a club in turmoil. He claims that Maloney will benefit from the club's stability as he starts his second spell.

"Celtic was my club when I was growing up and it was a no-brainer for me to go back," reflected Walker. "Shaun will have experienced similar emotions. The biggest difference was that when I went back in 1994 after being away for two or three seasons, the club was changing hands. The old board were being ridden out of town and it was a real transition period. We were also playing our home games at Hampden. The club just wasn't right at that time. It had problems on and off the park. Fergus McCann arrived with a five-year plan and delivered on it.

"Shaun is going back to a completely different club. It is a team that is used to winning leagues and playing in the Champions League. Shaun will be really excited by that prospect. There will be a number of individuals in the Celtic support who feel a bit let down that the club saw him through his cruciate ligament injury and then he left so soon after. But when he came on at the weekend, the roar was right around the stadium. That would have given him a massive lift."

Maloney might have expected to ease himself back into his surroundings gradually, but injuries to Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink could see him thrust into a main striker's role against Rangers on Sunday. Despite filling a wide midfield slot in his last spell at Parkhead, Maloney performed very well in the central striking role alongside Georgios Samaras against Falkirk, and Walker believes he can adapt his game to suit.

"He's got great ability but the only thing you wonder about Shaun is what his best position is. Is he a midfield player? Do you play him off the front two, or as an out and out striker? I'd like to see him become a main striker. He is terrific with his back to goal and he can finish, although I don't know if he has that natural instinct to want to be in and around the penalty box all the time. He scores eye-catching goals, but I think he also has the ability to score other kinds as well. If he is going to be a main striker at Celtic then maybe he needs a change of mindset."

Maloney made his debut as an 18-year-old in a 3-0 victory at Ibrox in April 2001 and went on to star in many Old Firm games. Walker claims that Maloney will have no problems starting at the weekend. "I'd have no qualms about playing Shaun from the start against Rangers. He has experience of these type of games. People say coming back to a former club doesn't work, but it can work sometimes. If they play Shaun and Samaras up front then one has to be the focal point of the attack. That would probably be Samaras, although he likes to drop off as well. If you are losing 50 goals from your team in Vennegoor of Hesselink and McDonald then you have to go with the next best."

Paul Lambert played alongside Maloney at Celtic and believes that the former Villa player has returned to Celtic a better player. "The beauty of Maloney's signing is that he is not a young and untried player," said the former Celtic captain. "He established himself at Celtic before he went. He found it tough at Villa but looked vibrant and enthusiastic on Saturday. I think he could be a massive influence. He knows the club inside out, he is an international player and has proven himself already at Celtic. It will be a big signing for Celtic. With Aiden McGeady, Shunsuke Nakamura and Shaun, Celtic now have three guys who can make things happen. He will have come back a better player than the one who left a couple of seasons ago because he will have grown up a lot from being down there."

Lambert, who was promoting Setanta Sports' coverage of Sunday's game, believes that Celtic have the edge over their old rivals. "I think, with home advantage, Celtic will win the game, but it is going to be a lot closer than everyone thought a few weeks ago," said Lambert. "Rangers have made some really decent signings like Pedro Mendes and Steven Davis and they are playing well at the minute, but I think Celtic will edge it."