Michael Duffy has had yet another outstanding season and has 12 goals so far in the League of Ireland and FAI Cup.Derry City’s Michael Duffy celebrates(Image: INPHO/Tom Maher)

Derry City boss Tiernan Lynch reckons Michael Duffy is “100 percent” the best player in the League of Ireland this year.

And he reckons the 31-year-old Candystripes star deserves to be rewarded for his outstanding ability with a long-overdue Ireland call-up.

Duffy, capped by Northern Ireland up to Under-21 level, and also the Republic at Under-18s, received a senior Northern Ireland call under Michael O’Neill in 2016 while at Celtic.

He was never capped at the highest level and in 2018, in the middle of a dazzling spell at Dundalk, he spoke of his desire to line out for Ireland.

Encouraged by then boss Martin O’Neill, he set about the process of declaring – but delays in receiving his clearance meant that he wasn’t in a position to answer Stephen Kenny’s call in late-2020.

FIFA finally granted his international transfer in February 2021, but a subsequent call never came.

According to Lynch, it’s not too late to finally give Duffy the recognition he deserves, and something he said as far back as 2018 that he had his “heart set on.”

Duffy was key once again for the Candystripes in Sunday’s 2-1 win against Shamrock Rovers – a result that moved them closer to securing second place in the Premier Division.

Lynch was asked if Duffy should be awarded Player of the Year, and he replied: “In my opinion, yeah, 100 percent.

“I made a comment last week, I think Michael Duffy, along with one or two others, definitely should be in for a shout to be involved in the Irish squad. I stand by that.

“I think there is a huge amount of talent in this league. I think it’s a tremendous league, full of good players, full of good managers, and I think it probably needs a little more recognition on the national stage.”

Asked why it hadn’t happened yet for Duffy, he replied: “I don’t know, I’ve never asked the question. I’m probably biased on that and what I’ve seen of him.

“I’m not going to be critical of any manager, I know how difficult it is and I know how difficult a job it must be for a national team manager.

“But working with Michael every day, I think there’s more in him.”

Lynch added: “I think he’s been excellent. When you talk about Michael Duffy you always get a smile on your face, because of how infectious the kid is.

“He is a top player, a top person. Every day is exactly the same to him – matchday, first day of training, last day of training, he’s first on the pitch, he’s last off the pitch, and he has had a massive, massive impact.

“It’s been great to see him back to where he belongs.”

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The same too can be said for Derry City, as they close in on second place thanks to Sunday’s win over Rovers.

Lynch took over last winter after the Candystripes finished fourth in the Premier Division and lost to Drogheda United in the FAI Cup final.

Securing a return to Europe was the most immediate task – and Sunday’s win did just that.

But there’s more to come, according to their manager, who said: “It’s not a successful season, but a progressive season.

“A successful season is when you have got silverware in the cabinet, and I think that’s how we have to behave at this football club and that has to be our mentality at this football club.

“We have to be pushing to win league titles and we have to be pushing to win the cup, to be playing group stages in Europe.

“That’s why we came into this club and that’s what we want to achieve.

“I came into this with my eyes wide open. It’s definitely a massive club and probably a bigger club than I thought, if truth be told.

“The potential of this club is absolutely and utterly phenomenal. It’s now my job from a football perspective to make sure we go and grab that with both hands and make sure we give them something to cheer about.

“European football is massive. I don’t think anybody needs me to tell them that this is where we need to be.

“But the season is not over yet, we have another massive game, and our job and mentality has to be to try and finish second, and build on that next season.”