Celtic podcaster Paul John Dykes has suggested that the Hoops’ manager Neil Lennon may not trust Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Shane Duffy.
During the summer transfer window, the Bhoys sealed the arrival of the Irish defender on a season-long loan from the Seagulls (per BBC).
The 29-year-old centre-back arrived at Parkhead off the back of a season which saw him make 19 appearances in the Premier League for Brighton (per Transfermarkt).
Following his move to the club, Duffy has appeared in 11 of the Hoops’ 19 games in the Premiership so far this term, prior to their match against Hibernian on Monday night.
In the latest episode of the A Celtic State of Mind podcast, Dykes suggested that Lennon may no longer trust Duffy to play for the Bhoys.
He said: “Does Neil Lennon trust Duffy? Well, when he’s picking Nir Bitton before Shane Duffy then that says that maybe Neil Lennon doesn’t trust Duffy to do the job.
“So, we need to buy a centre-half or bring a centre-half in [on loan] at least.”
TIF Thoughts on what Paul John Dykes said about Shane Duffy…
As can be seen in what the podcaster had to say, he believes that Lennon does not trust the Irish defender as he has been starting Bitton ahead of him.
Should Neil Lennon trust Shane Duffy to play for Celtic?
No, he's not good enough
Yes, he's a solid player
Certainly, with Duffy having only featured twice in Celtic’s six previous matches in the Premiership (per Transfermarkt), it is clear to see why the podcaster has come to that conclusion.
However, the Irishman, who is valued at £8.55 million (as per Transfermarkt), has been one of the better performers for the club in the league so far this season, so, perhaps his lack of action is somewhat harsh.
Over his 11 appearances in the Scottish top flight, the defender has earned an impressive 7.28/10 average rating, making him the fourth-best performer for the Bhoys in the league (per WhoScored).
So, that would certainly suggest that he deserves to be playing regularly for Celtic.