A serious eye injury sustained in a work-related accident means Down defender Conor Garvey is likely to miss the Mourne County's championship campaign.

Garvey, a mechanic by profession, had an operation to remove fragments of steel from his eye several weeks ago.

Down manager James McCartan revealed to the Irish Examiner: "The most important thing is to ensure his eyesight will be ok.

"He is not with us at the moment and he is certainly not allowed any contact in training for three months at least.

"But really, the priority for Conor is make sure his eyesight is correct."

Gavey missed last year's Ulster SFC final defeat by Donegal due to suspension while he made just one appearance as a substitute in this year's league before an ankle injury intervened. Tweet

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