TYRONE could be on the lookout for a new assistant manager amid mounting speculation that Gavin Devlin has decided to end his time with the setup.
The Ardboe man has been at Mickey Harte’s right hand for the past five seasons having joined ahead of the 2013 campaign.
Devlin was a two-time All-Ireland senior medallist with the county as a player, as well as winning minor (1998) and under-21 (2000 and 2001) titles.
During his time, Tyrone have returned to the top of Ulster football but fallen short of their ambitions to win a fourth All-Ireland title.
After retiring from playing at just 26, Devlin stepped into management with Derry club side Newbridge. He went on to win a Tyrone intermediate title with Kildress and enjoyed a spell in Bellaghy before receiving the call from Harte to invite him into the county setup as his assistant.
Devlin could not be contacted for comment.
There is also growing consternation in the county over the future of highly-rated strength and conditioning coach, Peter Donnelly, whose contract with the Tyrone county board expired at the end of September.
The Coalisland man has been widely credited with laying the foundations for the development of the current Tyrone team since he came back to his native county in September 2014.
Donnelly had previously worked in Cavan, where his expertise was a significant factor in them winning four straight Ulster under-21 titles.
Within six months of his return to Tyrone they had won the Ulster and All-Ireland under-21 crowns, and have since won back-to-back Ulster senior titles in the last two seasons.
If both Devlin and Donnelly were to exit the stage over the closed season, it would leave their long-serving manager with a considerable headache.
Harte himself endured uncertainty over his position through the whole of the season past but was last month reappointed for another three years, taking him up to the end of the 2020 season.
Another of his former charges, Irish News columnist Enda McGinley, has recently been linked with a move in to the backroom team after a successful entry to management with Errigal Ciaran’s minor team, whom he guided to championship success this summer.
