O’Neill confirms Mayo exit

Cian O’Neill confirmed he won’t be coaching Mayo next year — but stopped short of saying he will be joining Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s new Kerry set-up.

The UL lecturer explained he did talk with Fitzmaurice four weeks ago but only because the new Kingdom boss had asked for his advice on appointing a physical trainer. O’Neill stressed his brief is now football coaching and, while nothing is official with Kerry, admitted he would be agreeable to taking up such a position with a team closer to his Limerick base.

After linking up with Mayo last October and helping them towards this year’s All-Ireland final, O’Neill explained he was leaving James Horan’s management team because of health issues. In 2009, O’Neill had two discs removed from his back after a car accident and the commutes from Limerick to Castlebar have taken their toll.