Dip in fortunes left Duffy re-thinking his future

Shane Duffy has admitted for the first time how losing his place as Brighton's first choice defender left him wondering whether would need to ‘re-think’ his career to ensure he didn’t suffer the same fate with Ireland, before eventually finding the inner strength to respond.

With the Republic braced for a Euro 2020 play-off against Slovakia, and the prospect of home matches in Dublin during the tournament if all goes well, this was meant to be a stand-out season for the popular centre-half who has been, for years, one of the first names on the team-sheet for both club and country. But as the Derry-born star, 28, prepares to face Aston Villa in the Premier League today, he admits it hasn’t quite gone to plan.