When Shane Duffy arrived at Celtic at the start of last season on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, it was seen as a major coup for the Hoops. He had already proven himself in the Premier League and was expected to come in and solidify things at the back for Neil Lennon’s side.
On top of everything else, he had grown up supporting Celtic and was viewed as a supporter of the club, coming in to lead them to a historic 10IAR.
It is safe to say that things didn’t go as most people would have expected. In fact, they went completely the opposite way. Duffy endured a very disappointing spell at Parkhead and struggled to even get substitute appearances towards the latter stages of the season.
While he still continued to get called up to the Republic of Ireland squad, there were occasions when he didn’t feature. And Duffy recognises that it was the right decision as his form at Celtic was not up to the mark. As reported by the Daily Record, the defender said:
"“It was the right decision because I was nowhere near the level that I can show.“A blind man could have seen that I was nowhere near where I had been at.“He still brought me into the squad to be around the lads to help if I could even if I was not playing. I accepted that.“You have to play well to play for your country so that was the right decision.”"
Duffy’s loan spell at Celtic was a very disappointing one
It just didn’t work out for Duffy at Celtic. There is no denying that. He did not seem like the right type of defender for the style of football that the Hoops were trying to play.
While Celtic are known for their possession heavy game, Duffy’s passing has never been his strong suit. Also, it appeared that he was lacking in confidence for the majority of his time at Parkhead, which could have had a huge effect on his form as well.
Duffy has enjoyed a revival at Brighton & Hove Albion this season though and is once again a regular in their starting XI, as Graham Potter’s side sit at an impressive sixth in the Premier League table at the moment.