In July 2009, following the departures of captain Robbie Neilson and vice-captain Christos Karipidis to Leicester City and AC Omonia respectively, László named Žaliūkas as one of the candidates to take the club captaincy, along with midfielders Michael Stewart and Laryea Kingston. László stated that despite Žaliūkas' poor disciplinary record, he would be willing to trust the defender with the responsibility of being a leader. On 13 August 2009, Stewart was named club captain with Žaliūkas as vice-captain, although László stressed that they would share many of the responsibilities that come with the captaincy and said "I really have two captains".