Brighton boss refutes talk Shane Duffy's Celtic loan will be cut short in January

Celtic defender Shane Duffy has dropped out of the team in recent weeks.

The Irish international realised a life’s dream earlier this campaign by signing for his boyhood favourites on loan from the Seagulls for the duration of the 2020/21 season.

However, poor form has seen the 28-year-old drop out of the starting XI and then the matchday squad for recent games as Celtic continue to struggle under Neil Lennon, who is under severe pressure from the club’s supporters to turn around an ailing squad that has failed to find victory in 10 out of its last 12 encounters.

There has even been talk among the fanbase that Celtic are ready to cut their losses and send Duffy back down south once the January transfer window opens.

Potter, though, insists it’s only a matter of time before Duffy returns to peak form and silences his critics north of the border.

He told The Argus: “It’s a season-long loan, that’s how it has been from the start, that’s how we see it.

“In the season you’re going to get ups and downs. It’s a bit of a challenging situation but, knowing Shane, he is a fighter and he’s a good character.

“He will come through and has something to prove. I am sure he will get back to being the player he will want to be and everyone knows he can be.”

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