Westmeath football boss John Cooney expects Ray Connellan to return to fold in the New Year.

The Athlone clubman, who played in the Lake County's 2015 and '16 Leinster SFC final defeats to Dublin, has returned from the AFL where he spent three years and has resumed his studies in UCD.

"It was just a matter of giving him a wee bit of time when he came back home because probably the last thing you want is fellas annoying you and asking you to commit to something that's pretty intense," Cooney told the Irish Independent after his side's O'Byrne Cup first round win over Wexford.

"He's pushing an open door here so he's settling back in up in UCD. He's anxious to get back involved and we're anxious to have him back."

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