Mayo great Lee Keegan has opined that the high profile return of Stephehn Cluxton could prove to be a ‘distraction’ for Dublin.
The six-time All-Star goalkeeper made a shock return on Sunday, as he was included on the Dublin bench for the Division 2 meeting with Louth.
He last played for the Dubs in the 2020 All-Ireland final, and did not return for the delayed start of the 2021 season.
2016 Footballer of the Year Keegan fears there is too much drama surrounding the Sky Blues at present.
“Maybe we’re looking at it from a different angle, but it just seems like a bit of a distraction for Dublin,” he said on Allianz League Sunday.
“Listen, it’s a great story, it’s great to see Stephen Cluxton back. Greatest keeper we’ve ever witnessed, one of the best players we’ve ever witnessed. But if this was under the Jim Gavin era, would this have come out? Would this have been a distraction?
“I just feel like, even with Jack McCaffrey, we’ve only seen him against Cork. We don’t know what’s going on with him. Is he injured? Is he going to be playing more frequently?
“It just feels like there’s a couple of distractions with Dublin and these kind of stories, we don’t associate with them too often.
“I think today is the most Cluxton moment we’ve ever seen, just slots back into the Dublin panel like he was never out of it!”
Dublin will face Derry in Sunday’s Division 2 final, which will act as a curtain-raiser to the Allianz League Division 1 final between Galway and Mayo.
It will be interesting to see whether Cluxton is given a starting jersey for the showdown with the Oak Leaf County.
