Michael Murphy says he knew his time as an inter-county footballer was up after Donegal’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier loss to Armagh in June.

The Tir Chonaill men went down in a comprehensive 3-17 to 0-16 defeat to Kieran McGeeney’s side, bowing out of the championship in the process, and their 2012 All-Ireland winning captain said his decision to retire was more or less cemented that day in Clones.

"I just knew, I knew that time was up," Murphy told RTE Sport this week. "I stayed in the dressing room afterwards and was the last to leave. Very much the last to leave - I stayed and stayed and stayed.

"The whole decision probably was cemented there, and again you are waiting for that potential turnaround from it, but it wasn't there."

Asked if he thinks Donegal are now in transition following his departure and the appointment of a new management team headed up by Paddy Carr, Murphy added:

“"I think this year our boys are well capable. They're in Division 1, they're well capable of competing there, they're well capable of competing in Ulster. Yeah, there's a famine thereafter in terms of getting to the latter stages of the All-Ireland series.

"But I've no doubt the ability is definitely there. I definitely wouldn't be putting the label of transition on it. I think they're well capable of going and doing it. That's not putting pressure on them or anything. That's just where I see it."

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