McEntee will not be a part of the upcoming championship campaign.
Shane McEntee has been sent out to out to Mali for a six-month peacekeeping tour of duty with the Irish Defence Forces.
This means that the St Peters Dunboyne man, who is also the son of Meath manager, Andy McEntee, won’t be available for the rest of the campaign.
After the ball winner’s last outing against Offaly in the league, he released a statement informing everyone of his immediate departure.
“Last Saturday marked my last outing on the football field for the time being,” he announced at the time.
“It has been an incredible honour to captain my county over the last 12 months and while it won’t be easy watching on from afar, I am extremely excited about deploying on my first overseas mission with the Irish Defence Forces.
“These two passions in my life have complemented each other brilliantly, with many of the lessons learned in one field being equally applicable to the other. I look forward to drawing on these experiences and gaining many more over the next six months.”
This of course means that someone needs to fulfil the role as captain, and Cillian O’Sullivan has been awarded this responsibility.
The Moynalvey clubman has a long history with the current manager, playing under him in the Minor All-Ireland final team that lost to Dublin in 2012.
Although full-back Conor McGill captained the county in their last league game against Derry, this was due to O’Sullivan carrying an injury and having to miss the game.
Meath open their Leinster championship campaign against either Laois or Wicklow on May 1.
