Derry job too attractive for Mickey Harte to turn down - Gilligan

Former Derry star Conleith Gilligan believes the chance to take over another county with genuine All-Ireland credentials was an opportunity Mickey Harte couldn't refuse.

The three-time All-Ireland SFC winning manager has made a surprise switch from Louth to Derry, neighbours and traditional rivals of the 71-year-old's native Tyrone.

"It was a bolt from the blue for everybody," Gilligan told RTÉ's Game On before Harte was confirmed for a three-year term with the Oak Leaf county.

"Everybody thought that Malachy O'Rourke was next in line to take the job. It was the name on everybody's lips. Suddenly the phone started blowing up with messages: 'Mickey Harte; is he in, is he not in, has he left Louth’?

"Mickey Harte is synonymous with is Tyrone, and with Tyrone teams that won All-Irelands. He has a legacy and a record that will never be rivalled.

"In his advancing years, he probably looks at this as the chance to be one of the few if not the only manager to win two All-Irelands with two different teams.

"His assistant Gavin Devlin has a long history in Derry club football, having managed Newbridge, Bellaghy and most recently winning a senior championship with Slaughtneil. He knows Derry football really well and with Mickey Harte, they would know that there's a Derry team performing at the top level.

"A team that have won back-to-back Ulster championships, have been knocking on the door for the past couple of years and probably need a push over the line. It's not like they had to do in Louth, start in Division 4 and get promotion, promotion. This is a Derry team that are Division 1, at the very top end.

"They have to find players, find something different but it’s definitely achievable. And they’ll probably think it’s a team