Brighton were expecting Shane Duffy to leave the club this summer, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

What happened with Duffy?

In his first three seasons after joining from Blackburn, the Republic of Ireland defender was first-choice alongside club captain Lewis Dunk.

However, the arrival of Graham Potter saw Duffy lose his place in the side two years ago and would make just 14 Premier League starts in the 2019-2020 campaign.

The return of Ben White following his loan spell at Leeds the previous season saw Duffy loaned out to boyhood club Celtic.

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

But the Hoops had their own problems and Duffy made several mistakes which led to him making just one league start from February onwards before he returned to Brighton earlier this summer.

It all pointed towards Duffy being sold, with Potter having several other centre-backs at his disposal, including Dunk and the impressive Adam Webster.

And Barclay said that no one at the Amex Stadium could see a way back for Duffy after almost 12 months since his last appearance in a Seagulls shirt.

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What did Barclay say?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "Everyone was thinking back at Brighton, even after Ben White was sold, that it would be a matter of time before he would move on, but obviously he still has two years left and is on decent wages."

How has Duffy performed?

It's been quite some turnaround to say the least. Duffy looked to have played his last game for Brighton and is now firmly in Potter's best XI, playing every minute in the Premier League to help the Seagulls move into the European places.

Duffy, capped 44 times by the Republic of Ireland, even managed to mark his return to the Amex with a thumping header for the opener in the victory over Watford last month.

In fact, Duffy's 7.53 WhoScored rating is the best in the Brighton squad this season, with only Thiago Silva (7.86) outperforming him from all central defenders in the Premier League.

With Brighton flying high ahead of their derby with Crystal Palace tomorrow, and Duffy back in the fold, it's been some start to the season for the centre-back.