SHANE DUFFY HAS expressed his delight at being back in the fold at Brighton & Hove Albion after enduring “a tough year” on loan at Celtic.

With Brighton manager Graham Potter describing his performance as “immense”, Duffy marked his return to the team with a man-of-the-match contribution to a 2-1 win at Burnley in Saturday’s Premier League opener.

Despite fears during the summer that he no longer had a future at the club, the Republic of Ireland defender was selected in Brighton’s starting line-up for the trip to Turf Moor.

The Derry native vindicated Potter’s decision by producing an excellent display while forming a three-man rearguard alongside Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster.

“I have missed that feeling of playing for Brighton and getting three points; giving Dunky and Webby a big hug at the final whistle, it was such a great feeling,” Duffy told the club’s official website.

“It feels like I have come home. It really is a special club for me. I missed being here too much and I wanted to come back. It was down to me, as this club means a lot in my heart.”

It was a first Seagulls appearance in over a year for Duffy, whose temporary switch to the Scottish Premiership came in the wake of the untimely death of his father.

His failure to live up to expectations was emblematic of a wider malaise at Celtic, as the Glasgow giants were unable to land silverware for the first time since 2010.

“I am never going to give up and until I am told otherwise I am going to keep fighting until the last day,” the 29-year-old said of his future with Brighton, who he joined from Blackburn Rovers in 2016.

“The club has been brilliant, even when they knew I was having a difficult spell both on and off the pitch at Celtic. They were always in contact and seeing how I was.

“When I came back after my loan it was a big weight off my shoulders. It was like I had come home and the comfort started to come back.

“When you hit rock bottom that is the reality check. A lot was going wrong off the field, which was difficult for me and I had to get through that and that was tough mentally.

“After the year I had I was in a really low place and thought the Premier League was probably over for me. But I have got good people around me and at the club; this club is so good for me and it feels like home.

“Everyone knows I had a tough year up at Celtic and off the pitch it was quite difficult for me. So I changed a few things in my life over the last few months and I have come back with a different mindset and approach to things.

“I did that from the first day of pre-season, but my expectations weren’t high and I just said to myself I would try to do the best I can and help the team in any way I can.

“The manager has been really honest and he has been great with me. With a little bit of luck here and there I thought I could end up playing on Saturday.

“That was my mindset and I was delighted to get a little bit of luck, but I also feel you earn your luck with a bit of hard work, how you are off the pitch and how you are around the lads. The manager is big on that.

“I feel like I can help the squad, even if at times I am not playing, and it was really nice to get back on the grass.”

After a promising start, Brighton will aim to make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League when they host newly-promoted Watford on Saturday.

“It is still early days and I still do not know exactly what the manager wants – and he obviously needed me on Saturday and I was there for him – but he has been great with me,” added Duffy.

“When I moved away I realised what I was missing and I have reflected on that over the summer. It is now up to me and what the manager wants, and we have just got to keep working hard together.

“The lads have been brilliant around me. I had a few doubts in my own head, but the character I am I have been proving people wrong all my career and that is what I have got to do again – hit the restart button.

“I started from scratch and aimed to prove people wrong. It is only one game and a lot can still happen, but as long as I am here I’ll try and help the team, whether that’s on the pitch or off the pitch with the younger lads. That is what I am here to do.”