This would be massive!
Andy Moran was ratified yesterday as the new manager of the Mayo senior football team.
The former Footballer of the Year spoke to the press and stressed the need to get the best players playing for the county.
He said: “The key thing is to get the best players in Mayo playing for Mayo.
“Which, quite unusually over the last couple of years, mightn’t have always been the case. We need to get the best players playing.
“In terms of young talent, there’s a crop of Under-20s there that just missed out narrowly against Louth this year (in the All-Ireland semi-final). There’s a crop of minors coming through that are really talented, who lost to Armagh in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.
“There’s been a few Connacht titles (at underage) and a few green shoots over the last couple of years, which is great to see. It’s about how we keep being competitive with the strong players we have and embedding these young players in amongst it. That’s going to be the major role for the management team over the next couple of years.”
He added: “Can we get the best 36 fellas in the county on the panel playing for Mayo? Get the best team out there, put our best foot forward.
“If that guy is 18 years of age or 32, 33 years of age. It shouldn’t matter now. We are trying to get the best players playing.
“Yes, we will be looking at the older guys that opted out. Of course, them conversations will be happening and some have happened. The key thing for us is looking at the younger guys coming through. How are we going to really push this in terms of the Hurleys, these guys. How are we going to get them through onto the squad playing for Mayo?”
Some of the older players who opted out last year include the championship’s all-time top scorer, Cillian O’Connor, and Pádraig O’Hora.
On the potential return of O’Connor, he said: “Yes. I’d be very hopeful that he will come back.”
