Cillian O’Connor out for the season but it’s ‘not a disaster’ for Mayo, says James Horan

The Mayo manager added that O’Connor’s absence for this summer’s Championship will not change the “key principles” of Mayo’s forward play

ARMCHAIR FAN: James Horan pictured as EirGrid announced a five-year partnership extension for the GAA official timing sponsorship. Picture: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Mayo manager James Horan has confirmed Cillian O’Connor will miss the remainder of the inter-county season, but rejected the assertion that his loss is a “disaster” for the county’s Championship aspirations.

Horan was coy on the severity of O’Connor’s achilles tendon injury and the approximate period of time he will be sidelined for beyond the Championship, save for his comment that the 29-year-old has “quite a bit of rehab” in front of him following last week’s procedure and won’t be back on the pitch “for the foreseeable future”.