One of the best centre-backs in the Premier League this season, one of the worst in the Scottish Premiership last season. That isn’t a sentence that is configured often – but it appears Shane Duffy has managed to achieve that feat.
What should have been the dream move to his boyhood club ended in disaster for Duffy for a number of reasons.
The concession of the tenth league title in a row for Neil Lennon’s men paled insignificant when it became apparent that Duffy was living alone in Scotland in lockdown, away from his family in Ireland, seven hours from Brighton where he now excels at his parent club.
And the sudden death of his father on top of that had Duffy feeling the ‘lowest he has ever been’.
“It was definitely the lowest I have been,’ said Duffy to the Daily Mail.
“It was hard enough dealing with what had happened to my dad, but I also didn’t get to see my kids for a year because I couldn’t fly to Ireland to where they were.
“It was a lonely time and maybe it did affect me on the pitch.
“Things weren’t going well for the team or me at Celtic so I was probably sitting there on my own doing a bit of over-thinking and that was difficult.”
Duffy would most likely in an Ange Postecoglou side – who can’t? – if he was to return to Celtic in the immediate future.
But his prolonged good run of form in the world’s richest and admittedly toughest league has put any move back to Glasgow in doubt.
“I try to take a lot from what happened. I think my biggest regret is that it didn’t go well as it meant so much for me to go there. I will probably always live with that. But I have come out the other end.
“If I hadn’t got that low maybe I wouldn’t have bounced back like I have. It was a difficult year and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But I am not going to sit and cry about it. I had to deal with it and I tried to do that as best as I could.”
