Ciarán Whelan has described Kobe McDonald’s senior debut for Mayo as ‘phenomenal’.

The St Kilda-bound teenager scored 1-4 after coming off the bench to help the Westerners to a facile 2-30 to 2-11 victory over Monaghan in Clones last Sunday.

"He is obviously such a talent. He is the type of superstar Mayo really need and he can add so much to them, the type of superstar we want in our games." the former Dublin midfielder said on RTÉ's Allianz League Sunday.

"You can't stand in the young kid's way and he has to make decisions that are right for him.

"Everybody in Mayo would love to think he'd be wearing that green and red jersey for years to come because the impact he made today was phenomenal."

Speaking on the same programme, former Tyrone star Enda McGinley said of the Crossmolina youngster: "You want to protect a young player like that, protect him from the hype, and then you throw him on and he goes and does that. For Andy Moran, there is no protecting him now.

"To be fair, the freedom in his play and the photo of the wristband he was wearing had legacy on it. It's a big pressure to put on his shoulders but it's fantastic for us as supporters. You have to love seeing talent like that."

Tweet

Most Read Stories