Celtic defender Stephen Welsh has been impressive this season.
Thrown in at the deep-end against Rangers and AC Milan, he acquitted himself well. More recently, he’s had a sustained spell in the first XI, and Celtic have improved defensively.
Most veterans might see a youngster coming in to the side at their expensive, and moan. Turns out, that’s not the case for Republic of Ireland international Shane Duffy. The ex-Everton man has only helped Welsh, who is full of praise for the 29-year-old.
While Shane Duffy has been targeted in the press for his performances, many seem to forget he’s an actual person. Duffy has been hit with criticism constantly since joining Celtic. Fair enough, he’s not played well, but his character seems strong. Now, it turns out he’s also a good influence on those around him.
Welsh told the Scottish Sun:
“Shane has helped me a lot.
“He’s an international player who has played at the highest level. Every day he is chatting away about what you can do better, and what you are good at.
“His character is unbelievable. I think every player goes through a difficult spell, and everyone has had it at Celtic and at other clubs.
“Duffy has got the character to come through the other end. There’s no doubt about that.”
Finally, a nice Celtic story: Stephen Welsh is being mentored by an experienced international
Before we delve any further: isn’t this just a nice story? No matter how much flak Duffy is taking, he’s still keen to help a player who’s keeping him out the team.
That shows immense maturity. Duffy has endured an awful spell at Celtic so far, but rather than clam up and stay quiet, he’s mentoring the future of Celtic’s defence.
Welsh seems incredibly enthused by the Irishman’s input. If that’s the legacy Duffy leaves, then that’s a good thing. There will be some who will argue that his mistakes cost us the 10, but the problems go far deeper than the Brighton loanee.
Celtic’s 21-year-old academy graduate still has a lot to learn. While his instincts are sound, and he brings real passion, his positioning and aerial ability need work. With time on his side, he could become a solid centre-back with good coaching.
READ MORE: Let’s not get carried away by recent comments.
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