Duffy enjoying life on loan, but still feeling Blue

From the sleepy town of Yeovil, Shane Duffy has set himself a target of extending Everton’s Irish brigade to a quartet.

Seamus Coleman, who first broke into the Toffees first-team alongside Duffy four years ago, and James McCarthy showed at Old Trafford on Wednesday just why Roberto Martinez considers them the backbone of his revolution.

Another Irishman, midfielder Darron Gibson, is a centrepiece to the Spaniard’s vision, only for an early-season injury to deprive the Derryman of a chance to show United what they’re missing.

But, on his club’s biggest night since they clinched Champions League qualification in 2005, Duffy, the longest-serving Irish player at Goodison Park, was nowhere to be seen, confined to a watching brief at his temporary Dorset home. Battling at the basement of the Championship for Yeovil is a million miles away from the glitz of Premier League, yet the Derry man is comfortable in his surrounds. Time after time last season, David Moyes vetoed loan switches for the 21-year-old just as it seemed an escape from bench duty was within grasp, as injuries to fellow defenders Phil Jagielka and Tony Hibbert scuppered the moves to Middlesbrough and Leicester City.

So frustrated was the Foylesider that a permanent exit was considered, just months after signing a long-term contract. However, after a shaky start under Martinez in pre-season, when he gave away penalty in the first game, Duffy received the assurance he craved.

“It was something I wanted to hear,” said Duffy. “When a new manager comes in, you don’t know for a while where you stand but I got that soon enough from him.

“Both of us felt a loan was the best move. I’d hardly played last season, appearing on the Everton bench about 40 times, so there was no point going through that again. I’ve got some top-quality centre-backs ahead of me at Everton and I need more experience to be challenging them. Coming to Yeovil has been brilliant.”

Since decamping to the West Country, Duffy has played every minute of the Glovers’ 10 games, his monthly-loan deal already extended twice. As long as that situation continues — and previous regular Dan Seaborne being shipped out on loan last week indicates it will — he is happy to stay.

“Results didn’t start well but we had been unlucky in a lot of matches,” explained Duffy. “There’s a good young team at Yeovil with a few decent Irish lads like Kevin Dawson and Paddy Madden.”

Still, while doing his bit to help Gary Johnson’s outfit beat the drop is the immediate target, his long-term plan is a return to the Premier League which can only be a positive for club and country.

“Darron and James can be Ireland’s future midfield for years to come,” explained Duffy.

“We all know the only reason Darron stopped playing for Ireland was because of the previous manager [Trapattoni]. He’d be my first on the Ireland team-sheet. I was gutted for him when he picked up his injury but the new manager can build a team around him and James for the next campaign.

“Everyone knows what a quality player Seamus is and I was delighted when he made the right-back spot his own last year. I couldn’t complain about being left out of the senior squad last season because I wasn’t involved at club level. Some centre-backs playing in the Championship received call-ups before, so maybe it can happen to me down the line.”