substituted at half-time in Celtic's League Cup defeat against Hearts. It was revealed he was suffering from Achilles tendinitis, and he did not play another game that season. Maloney started the 2010–11 season in good form with goals against St Mirren, Hearts and a brace against Hamilton. After this run of form, Maloney was given the short-term captaincy of Celtic in the absence of Scott Brown through injury. However, fitness problems flared up again for Maloney in November 2010 when he injured his ankle during a league match against Inverness CT. He required to undergo ankle surgery in December, and didn't return to the first team until April 2011. Maloney featured in eight of Celtic's remaining matches; scoring against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final and then against Motherwell in the last league fixture of the season. Wigan Athletic Maloney joined Wigan Athletic in the Premier League on 31 August 2011 for a fee of £850,000, signing a three-year deal. He made his debut on 13 September 2011 in a 2–1 defeat against Crystal Palace in the League Cup. He struggled to break into the first team, appearing three times as a substitute during the first half of the 2011–12 season. Maloney admitted his fitness "was lacking a little bit" when he joined the club, and manager Roberto Martínez felt that Maloney needed more time to settle-in. On 11 March 2012, he made his first Premier League appearance in almost five months, coming on as a substitute against Norwich City. His performance was described as "outstanding", and he was rewarded with his first league start for the club in the following game against West Bromwich Albion. On 24 March 2012, he scored a penalty against Liverpool at Anfield in a 1–2 win for Wigan – his first goal for the club. Maloney topped this effort with a wonderful curling goal against Manchester United on 11 April, lifting his side out of the relegation zone for the first time since October with a 1–0 win. Then, on 28 April 2012, Maloney scored Wigan's third goal in an emphatic 4–0 home win over fourth placed Newcastle. On 17 January 2013, it was announced that Maloney signed a new contract with Wigan Athletic, keeping him at the club until 2015. On 7 April 2013, Maloney scored a 94th minute free kick goal, seconds from the end of the QPR match at Loftus Road