Damien Duff’s move to Parkhead took us all by surprise when it was first brought up last year. And now, he’s finally opened up on the risks involved to make the move.
The Republic of Ireland hero has just been appointed the new reserve team coach at Celtic. In a joint-announcement alongside the appointment of Stephen McManus as under-18 coach, Duff has a huge role to play.
He’ll be using all of his experience to provide youngsters and fringe-players with the motivation required to get themselves into first-team reckoning.
And speaking to Celtic’s official website, he spoke about the special sacrifice he had to make with his own family to join.
“I’ve brought my wife over here, and I’ve taken my kids out of school to come here. There’s no other place in the world, or any other club, that I would have left Ireland for, at the minute anyway, in my coaching career.
“The club asked me to come over and interview, which was a very tough process. Thankfully I got the job, and it was an easy decision.
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“And thankfully my wife and kids were happy to come as well, so they’re settled in school and we’re all good.”
Good early vibes from Duff
Duff certainly appears to be someone who’ll run through brick walls for the Hoops. He’s clearly a big fan of the club. Despite never playing for Celtic, you can see how much of an honour it is for him to be here.
Moving his children out of school and into a new country is never an easy sacrifice to make. But it tells a lot about how important and big a step Duff feels this job is for him.
In his interview with the club, he also took time to praise manager Brendan Rodgers. He hailed the Northern Irishman as one of the best manager in the world.
Added to that, Duff talks about how he’s started in the job and the importance of hard work. His enthusiasm for the new role is infectious, and comes just one day after Stephen McManus gave off similarly positive vibes.
This looks a shrewd, positive move by Celtic on paper. It’ll now be interesting to see just how many of the fringe and youth players start to turn it on.