Lennon backs Shane Duffy amid criticism of Celtic form



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Shane Duffy has received the backing of his Celtic manager Neil Lennon after his recent performances came under scrutiny.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, former Celtic midfielder Kris Commons described the Republic of Ireland defender’s recent performances as “rotten” as the Hoops lost points in the race for the Scottish Premiership title after a 3-3 draw. 3 against Aberdeen that came a week after an Old Iron loss to Rangers and three days after a defeat to AC Milan in the Europa League.

“Duffy looks like an accident waiting to happen,” Commons added, warning the Co Derry native needs to “catch up and sharpen up.

But Celtic boss Lennon, who gained the backing of Kenny Dalglish after the Glasgow team’s recent troubles, jumped to Duffy’s defense.

“As the season develops and progresses, he will play a very important role for us and he is also a good guy,” he told the Daily Record.

“Shane didn’t play football for nine months. All of a sudden, he played 14 games in about five weeks. He played every game for Ireland, then he had an abscess in his mouth that caused him a lot of pain.”

“He flew back to Glasgow and had emergency dental work. Then we had to pitch him against the Rangers.”

“He played Thursday night, but we are limited because he doesn’t have Bitton, Jullien or Elhamed by his side.

“Overall, his performances have been pretty consistent. I know he’s under a bit of scrutiny because people are watching him for some of the goals we’ve lost, but we can’t point that to Shane. It’s a collective effort.”

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