Shane Duffy hasn’t had it easy at Celtic over the last few weeks.
Returning from dental surgery during the international break, he struggled in matches against Rangers, Milan and Aberdeen as the pressure mounted on the team.
However, Sunday will hopefully have been a confidence booster for the Republic of Ireland captain as he helped keep a clean sheet in the second match of the recent double-header vs the Dons.
Duffy wasn’t exactly on top form at Hampden either but there was definitely positive progress and the result will have provided him with some confidence heading into another two crucial games over the next week.
He was certainly in a more buoyant mood on his return to social media in the wake of the fixture, posting on Instagram for the first time since his defiant post-derby message.
The defender wrote: “Good win into the final! Step by step getting there. 🍀”
His fellow professionals were quick to offer their support to the player too.
Celtic stars such as Christopher Jullien, Jeremie Frimpong and Albian Ajeti responded to his post, while other high profile Celtic fans such as Stoke City’s James McClean and Motherwell’s Tony Watt also replied.
At the time of writing, nearly 20,000 supporters have liked his post.
Duffy is a popular man within the squad and with his international teammates. As he continues to adapt to life in Glasgow, that support will be crucial for him.
With the pandemic being the way it is, Duffy is likely more isolated from those closest to him than he would be otherwise and it’s been a hard year for him off the field.
It’d be great to see a happier Duffy at Celtic reaching the top of his game and showing everyone why Neil Lennon has put so much faith into his loan move this season.
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