Dublin manager Dessie Farrell has described Kerry captain David Clifford as “probably the greatest” footballer he’s ever seen.

Farrell and his management team are currently plotting a way to halt the Kingdom from making back-to-back All-Ireland SFC titles this Sunday at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Speaking to GAA.ie ahead of the decider between the two old rivals, Farrell said that the Dubs have a unique talent to try and stop the sensational Fossa clubman.

“I actually love watching him play,” says Farrell. “He’s such a special, unique talent. I tell the kids he reminds me of myself when I played…but I think they know more!”

“He’s brilliant. He’s probably the greatest I’ve ever seen.

“He can do things nobody else can. He’s a physical specimen and he has a skill set that belies that. He’s just so, so unique and he’s such a leader for them as well. He makes them tick.

“We’re under no illusions how difficult that’s going to be. It could keep you up late at night, for sure. I think the challenge for us is to accept that he’s in such a rich vein of form, he’s going to do damage. He’s going to have an impact on the game.

“We’ve just got to accept that. It’s trying to minimise the impact and try and not get over-fixated on him. Because if you do that, you turn the tap off here – it opens the floodgates somewhere else.”

“They have some other really good forwards and some backs who are also comfortable in attack, so they can hit you from all different angles. They’ve loads of threat.

“So I think it’s just about us getting a balance right. Trying to manage him but also keeping an eye on the overall plan so that we’re not overly impacted by a concentration of focus on him.”

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