'He's A Monster Of A Man...Dirty, He'll Kick You' - Exclusive: Ex-striker on Celtic player

Celtic defender Shane Duffy is a "monster" who'll "do the dirty stuff" and is capable of proving his critics wrong, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa striker hailed his old defensive opponent as an old fashioned centre-back with the ability to be a force in Scotland.

Duffy joined Celtic on a season-long loan from Brighton in the summer window after extensive talks over a deal.

He was cherry-picked by Neil Lennon to stiffen the back line and slot into a new three-man defence.

But an encouraging start from Duffy has been followed by a series of error-strewn displays that have led to a torrent of criticism.

Agbonlahor is convinced that the Republic of Ireland international will eventually come good.

He told Football Insider: "From what I’ve seen of Shane Duffy at Brighton, he’s a top defender. What is he, 6ft 6in?

"He’s a monster of a man, he’s massive, a physical presence, he’ll kick you, he’ll do the dirty stuff but he’s a good defender and leader.

"He’s gone into a league he’s not used to and you’ve got to give him a chance, give him a few games to get into it and show what a great defender he is.

"He’s a Celtic fan too, I’m sure, so he’ll want to give his best for that club and he’ll want to come through and be a great player for them."

In other news, Celtic are expected to complete the signing of a £60K-a-week sensation in 2021.