Maloney can help drive Hull City onto the front foot

Hull City's Shaun Maloney scores a penalty fior Scotland (Picture: Kirk O'Rourke/PA Wire).

The 32-year-old signed for the Tigers shortly before the transfer window closed early this month.

However, a hamstring injury picked up almost straight away on international duty meant Maloney had to wait until Tuesday’s Capital One Cup victory over Swansea City for his first start.

Bruce said: “I thought he was excellent. He will give us something different that we will benefit from.

“He is a really clever footballer who gets himself in little areas and retains the ball. He takes us forward, too. We have to play on the front foot more.

“We had a very young team against Swansea and the easy thing to do is go backwards.

“We have to have a belief about us that we can go forward and create chances. We shouldn’t be frightened about making a mistake.

“We have got a lot of young players. For two 19-year-olds (in Chuba Akpom and Isaac Hatden), even though they’re from Arsenal, it is a million years from where they have been.

“Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire, who hasn’t played a lot, they are young players still learning their trade.

“Shaun Maloney can be that little bit of experience, which some of them will need. I am sure he’ll help Robbo, in particular.”