Dane Murray could have found himself on the Celtic bench after giving away a penalty against Benfica. Martin O’Neill had other ideas.

The 22-year-old was back in the starting eleven for Sunday’s 7-1 win over Hearts, a decision Jim Duffy was delighted to see.

The former Dundee manager also had plenty to say about Murray’s qualities and where the young defender still needs to improve.

Jim Duffy praises Martin O’Neill for sticking by Dane Murray

Duffy told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: “He’s picked up a lot. I think that, Dane Murray, I like the fact that Martin O’Neill stuck by him, one, as a player. You need that manager trust in you.

“And when he selects you, particularly when you’ve made a mistake or if you’ve made an error that’s led up to a goal like the penalty he gave away last week against Benfica.”

Duffy felt Murray’s response to the penalty was enough to justify another start and explained the message he believes O’Neill’s decision sent to the defender.

He continued: “And he said, no, by the way, you reacted well to that. You didn’t capitulate. You didn’t fold. You didn’t bottle it. You actually went into a decent game enough after that.

“So we’ll put you back in again. So that trust helps the player, gives him confidence.”

Murray followed up his Benfica appearance with a solid display against Hearts, helping Celtic secure a convincing victory over the Edinburgh side.

Jim Duffy tells Dane Murray what he must improve at Celtic

Duffy rates Murray’s physical qualities highly but believes the defender needs to sharpen his positioning and concentration.

He said: “He’s got an awful lot of attributes. He’s obviously physically very strong. He’s decent on the ball. He’s got good athleticism, good pace.

“What he needs to learn is positional play in terms of reading the game a little bit more and concentration.

“These are key elements when you’re a defender playing at the top level, because a lot of the time, the play is higher up the pitch.”

Duffy has some advice for the Hoops defender. He wants Murray to pay closer attention to his positioning when Celtic lose possession.

He added: “So your concentration levels in terms of your positional play in terms of when you lose the ball was where am I. So those are the key elements for me that you still got to improve upon to go to the next level.”

With Cameron Carter-Vickers still sidelined through injury, Murray could be called upon again when Celtic face Celta Vigo in the Europa League on Thursday.

O’Neill had the option to drop Murray after Benfica but chose to start him against Hearts. Whether the Celtic manager sticks with the youngster for another European fixture remains to be seen.