Ryan McHugh: There can be life in Donegal after Murphy

Donegal's Ryan McHugh has said that there is enough talent in Donegal to ensure that there can be life after Michael Murphy – even if their most famed player will prove irreplaceable.

The Glenswilly ace, who captained the side to the All-Ireland title in 2012, announced his retirement earlier this week with his place as a footballing legend in the county firmly secured.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport, McHugh said that the new Paddy Carr era can still be bright one despite Murphy’s absence.

"It [the search for Declan Bonner’s replacement] went on a wee bit longer than probably expected and people would have thought," he said.

"They took their time and we got our man now with Paddy Carr and Aidan O’Rourke along with him. I met them and they’re two exceptional people.

"We won’t know 100% until we get into the nitty-gritty, I think we’re allowed to train from next week. We’ll get back into that.

"Two good GAA people and very proud GAA people and from my point of view, and from chatting to other players, we’re really looking forward to getting to work.

"A fresh face and a fresh voice in the dressing room can be good sometimes. Obviously there is going to be a massive hole to fill now with Michael gone but we feel we’ve a good squad in Donegal and a lot, a lot of talented players."

The Kilcar man, who won three Ulster titles under Murphy’s captaincy, said that there was no doubt about how much of a loss he would be to that Donegal dressing room.

"One of Michael’s biggest strengths was what people wouldn’t see and that was on the training pitch and how he lived his life outside the training pitch and outside the playing field.

"You just couldn't get a more professional man in the way that he dealt with everything, whether that