“I think the best of Michael Murphy may be about to come.”
Jim McGuinness has been announced as the new manager of Donegal, and comments he made last year about Michael Murphy will excite Donegal fans.
Murphy announced his retirement last year, after a decade and half of service to his county, and fans have been hoping for a U-turn on that decision ever since.
The star man was made captain of the county at just 21 years of age when Jim McGuinness first took the job back in 2011, and the duo guided Donegal to the All-Ireland title in 2012.
Even when McGuinness left in 2014, Murphy continued to be the star man, leading his side to several Ulster titles and always stepping up on the big occasion.
Given their close relationship, and previous success, fans everywhere are hopeful that the new manager could entice their hero to wear the yellow and green jersey once again.
McGuinness is a successful sports psychologist, and one of his many strengths is being able to get total buy-in from the players, so if there was any hope that Murphy would return, it would only be through the manager’s lucrative powers of persuasion.
At 34 years of age, and many miles of inter-county battles clocked up, some would question whether or not the former talisman would still be able to command games like he once did.
Now that he’s taken a year’s hiatus from the sport at county level, it would be even more difficult for the veteran to do the running that he once did, but McGuinness not only believes that Murphy’s best days are ahead of him, but that he has the perfect role In mind to maximise his attributes.
Last year, when writing a piece for the Irish Times to preview the Ulster final between Derry and Donegal, the Naomh Conaill clubman made it very clear where he sees the future of the Glenwsilly star.
“There’s a prevailing view out there that Michael is in the autumn of his years. I don’t agree. To be honest I think the best of Michael Murphy may be about to come.
“Because whenever Michael understands that he can no longer cover ground out the field as he would wish, he will find himself back on the edge of the square.
“And he will move and think, then, like he did when he was 17 and lighting it up in Cusack Park. Except this time he will have a decade and a half of brilliance under his belt.
“Returning home to full-forward is still somewhere in the future for Michael Murphy. What a treat.”
Murphy has been on the record saying that he will not return to Donegal, regardless of who was named as manager, including McGuinness.
However, saying no to the man who guided you through your most successful period as a player is easier said than done.
Related links:
- What Jim McGuinness’ potential return could mean for Donegal and Gaelic football
- Speculation rife that Jim McGuinness could return to Donegal hotseat
- “I was definitely nervous” Michael Murphy opens up on transition from player to pundit
