Brighton defender Shane Duffy accepts being withdrawn by Republic of Ireland coach Stephen Kenny.

Duffy could be rested by boss Kenny as Republic of Ireland host Qatar in a friendly tonight.

But it will be a very different scenario to when Kenny left him out of World Cup qualifiers in March at the peak of his woes on loan at Celtic.

Duffy said: “It was the right decision because I was nowhere near the level that I can show.

“A blind man could have seen that I was nowhere near where I had been at.

“He still brought me into the squad to be around the lads to help if I could even if I was not playing. I accepted that.

“You have to play well to play for your country so that was the right decision."