Michael Murphy rules himself out of the Donegal managerial race

Michael Murphy has ruled himself out of the Donegal managerial race.

The former Donegal captain retired ahead of the 2023 season, but the county is now on the lookout for a new manager after a tumultuous campaign in which Paddy Carr stepped down midseason.

Aidan O’Rourke, who acted as interim manager for the championship, quit following Donegal’s defeat to Tyrone last month.

Donegal GAA have now invited ‘expressions of interest from potential candidates’ who wish to become the next senior football manager, with the application deadline set for July 21st.

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But Murphy has moved to distance himself from taking on the role at this stage.

“Not yet, not yet. Listen, timing, I suppose last year the reason I moved away from playing was because of the whole energy thing of what’s required on an everyday basis, that’s the whole thing I would have struggled to give,” he said.

“I knew myself it was something I would struggle to give, and moving into management, listen, it’s a big thing.

“In order to do it right and the way it needs to be done, it’s massive hours within every single day. Plus added into the fact I need to go and learn the trade, I need to go and learn about it and maybe go and figure out coaching and figure out management.

“I’ve been taking the local minors for the last couple of years and at that level I give it my all for a couple of days a week, but that’s what it is - a couple of days of the week. So I’m not foolish enough to kind of know that I could throw myself into something.”

And Murphy does not see himself linking up as a selector on any Donegal managerial dream-team ticket for 2024 either.

“Definitely not for me anyway at the moment, no,” he added.

“If anything, I had already committed, I suppose, to helping out along with Karl (Lacey) in the academy last year with the underage teams.

“If that kind of project gets back up and going again I think I would probably try and help out in some capacity again with Donegal at underage level, and figure that thing out in an environment that is maybe less pressurised and less time-consuming and where you can maybe afford to make mistakes and learn from them.”

Michael Murphy was speaking ahead of Sunday’s Electric Ireland All-Ireland minor football final between Derry and Monaghan in Armagh at 1pm.