Lee Keegan Identifies Key Factor That Makes Ex-Teammate Ideal Fit For Mayo Job

It's safe to say that Mayo football is at something of a crossroads after a difficult 2025 season.

Since the 2021 All-Ireland final defeat, things have been on a steady slide for the Westerners, and they failed to even get out of their All-Ireland round-robin group this summer.

A historic defeat to Cavan was ultimately their downfall, and Kevin McStay and his management team ultimately paid the price for the team's poor performances.

The manner of McStay's dismissal brought widespread criticism, but attention now turns to who will replace him in the manager's hotseat.

For Mayo legend Lee Keegan, there is a clear standout contender.

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Andy Moran has been one of the names most frequently linked with the vacant Mayo manager's job.

An icon of Mayo football during his playing career, Moran has impressed with his coaching exploits since retiring from inter-county football in 2019.

A stint with the Mayo under-20s preceded a move to senior management with Leitrim, where he lasted three seasons before joining Gabriel Bannigan's Monaghan backroom team for this season.

Lee Keegan was asked for his pick for the Mayo job on the Beyond the 45 podcast on talkSPORT this week and said that Moran's familiarity with the Mayo setup makes him a prime candidate for the job.

I think Andy Moran would be a nice fit.

I think lads know him, they respect him. And even listening to the Monaghan group this year, in particular, he has an energy. That kind of affection and emotion towards players, that's hard to replicate sometimes.

I think Andy is very emotionally attached to the players, and he gets the best of them. So for me, he'd be a great candidate.

Moran has earned plaudits for his work as a coach in recent years, and the familiarity with the Mayo players highlighted by Keegan could give him the edge over the other contenders for the job.

Keegan played alongside Moran during a golden decade of Mayo football, but the team infamously never managed to return Sam Maguire out west.

It would certainly be an amazing fairytale story should Moran finally get Mayo over the line as manager.

The likes of Austin O'Malley and Ray Dempsey stand alongside Moran as the outstanding candidates for the vacant role.