JOHN COLLINS has warned Shaun Maloney of the sizeable expectations he will face at Hibernian.

Collins’ first managerial job came when he took over at former club Hibs in October 2006 and he reckons it will prove a ‘testing job’ for Maloney in his first role as a fully-fledged manager.

Collins steered the Easter Road outfit to their League Cup success in March 2007 but resigned after just over 13 months in charge following a disagreement with the board over his budget.

Maloney has been promised the chance to revamp his squad in the coming transfer windows, but Collins believes the 38-year-old has the building blocks in place to succeed.

The former Celtic and Scotland midfielder said: “I’m delighted for Shaun. He was a terrific football player and he’s served his apprenticeship in the coaching department over in Belgium with a top coach in [Roberto] Martinez.

“I’m sure he’ll do very well. I wish him all the very best.

“It’s a testing job. There’s expectations, but I think it’s a terrific first job for him."

He added to Sky Sports: “Everything’s in place. There’s a decent squad there and there’s a transfer window just opening so he’ll be able to assess his squad in the next few weeks and hopefully he’ll add to it in the window.

“I think he’ll be looking to strengthen the squad if he can. It’s not easy in January - I think it would be good if one or two came in."

“Obviously, it’s got to be quality players, it’s not just about numbers, it’s about bringing in better players than you’ve already got.”