|
Two years ago though, his entire footballing future was at risk after he was sent home from City’s Carrington training ground by manager Kevin Keegan for ‘a serious breach of discipline’ amid claims that he turned up for training smelling of alcohol.
At one stage it appeared Keegan was intent on sacking the Dubliner.
Instead, the Professional Footballers’ Association were called in to mediate and Dunne was eventually given a reprieve.
The 25-year-old has since impressed Keegan enough to earn a regular spot alongside skipper Sylvain Distin at the heart of the Blues defence and turned in another outstanding display at Southampton on Saturday, helping keep only the second clean sheet of the season as City scrapped out a goalless draw.
And there could be more reason for celebration at the turn of the year as Keegan has indicated a contract extension is almost a formality.
"Richard Dunne has reinvented himself from what he was 12 months ago and he is on course for a new deal," confirmed the former England coach.
"He has received help from other people but the biggest help has been from himself.
"He seems to have got his life back together and his weight, which was a problem, is no longer an issue.
"I take my hat off to him because it was only 18 months ago that he was out there trying to battle a lot of things. It seems he has won.
"We had an agreement that if he started this season like he ended the last one, we would sit down and talk in January."
Dunne should make his 150th appearance for City in the Barclays Premiership clash with Chelsea at Eastlands on October 16.
"You have to give him great credit," Keegan added.
"For someone so big, he is very quick. People think they can run him but they can’t.
"He has done really well for us over the past year and I couldn’t be more delighted he has got back into the Ireland squad."
The last of Dunne's 20 international caps saw him start alongside skipper Kenny Cunningham in the Republic's 3-0 win over Canada last November.