Stephen McMenamin ruled out of the League for Donegal

Donegal are to be without a host of players for their Allianz League Division 1 opener against Mayo on Saturday in Ballybofey.

Last year’s All-Star nominee Stephen McMenamin is expected to miss the entire league after having an operation. Donegal manager Declan Bonner was tight-lipped as to the injury. “He underwent surgery last weekend. I will leave the medical team deal with that, but he will be out of action for the league,” Bonner said of McMenamin.

Patrick McBrearty is still in the US, although he will return to training next week ahead of Donegal’s second outing, away to Meath in Navan on Sunday week.

After opening round wins over Monaghan and Derry, Donegal opted not to contest the Dr McKenna Cup the weekend before last with numbers short and players involved in the Sigerson Cup.

“We were slated for the decision I took but I knew after we beat Monaghan that this was going to come,” Bonner said. “The numbers were tight even though we had 40 players on the list, but between a virus in the camp, the injuries that cropped up.”

Donegal have six players involved in the Sigerson Cup semi-finals, with Michael Murphy’s Letterkenny IT team featuring Michael Langan, Eoghan McGettigan, goalkeeper Michael Lynch, and Peadar Mogan facing Carlow IT tonight in Inniskeen, Co Monaghan.

DCU have defenders Conor Morrison and Brendan McCole in their ranks ahead of their clash with UCD.