'Icon' Michael Murphy hailed by Donegal team mate Shane O'Donnell
Shane O'Donnell isn't surprised 'idol' Michael Murphy is thriving on his return to the inter-county stage.
Murphy's u-turn on his Donegal career last Autumn came out of the blue.
And while many felt he might be an impact sub for Donegal, the big Glenswilly man has not only cemented a starting place, but has been the main main in recent weeks.
Murphy's threat as a long kick out option for Shaun Patton and his dead ball ability have seen the 2012 All-Ireland winning captain even more central to Donegal's plans than many imagined.
With Patrick McBreaty currently not seeing much game time and Oisin Gallen out of form, Murphy has stepped up to the plate once again.
Murphy, who turns 36 in August, picked up the RTE Man of the Match award after last weekend's victory over Mayo and has been highly influential throughout this year's Championship.
'He's a bit of an icon in there for a lot of us because there's a lot of young boys there that wouldn't have played with him beforehand,' said O'Donnell.
'Now, thankfully I was there for his last year under Declan Bonnar and Stephen Rochford.
'I was able to work with him for a year but there's a lot of new faces there at the minute that wouldn't have seen him there before.
"I think a lot of us now just kind of idolise him and look up to him, which is always a good thing I suppose - to have him there as well.'
New faces like Finbarr Roarty and Ciaran Moore - both flying for Donegal this year - are getting their first experience of working alongside Murphy as team mates.
O'Donnell says he's not surprised at Murphy's impact: 'When you're in the club championship, Glenswilly were flying with him there and he was performing well in all those games.
'I had a fair idea that he would have settled in well whenever he came back, probably not as well as what he's doing at the minute.
'He's performing in all the big games for us at the minute and he's coming away with individual awards as well.
'He's doing very well and I'm very happy for him because there's no better man to be getting that recognition, because he deserves it.
'It's good to have him back. He's a great man and he's a great ambassador for Donegal.'
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