Richie Sadlier believes it is understandable why Shane Duffy has been dropped by Stephen Kenny for Ireland's World Cup qualifier with Serbia.
The defender has had a torrid time since joining Celtic on loan last year and has been named on the bench for tonight's clash in Belgrade.
Speaking on RTE's coverage of the match, pundit Sadlier commented: "Shane Duffy I think is a big, big decision, but it's an understandable one.
"The Shane Duffy that we all saw up to two and three years ago is a guaranteed starter, he's in with a shout of being the captain, he's the first name in the defence. But that Shane Duffy isn't available to the manager tonight.
"It's a very different version of Shane Duffy that's been playing football over the past year. It's an understandable call."
On the decision not to start Duffy, Kenny said: "Shane has been immense for Ireland. It's not just Shane - we've made other big decisions as well. That's part of it. It's a squad effort."
