Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has hailed the influence that Karl Lacey has on the squad.

The former Footballer of the Year is back to full fitness and McGuinness states in the Donegal Democrat that his return is a boost to the whole squad.

"I'd suggest Karl Lacey coming back to fitness has had a huge impact on this group," said McGuinness. "Karl has worked unbelievably hard to get himself into this position. He had an awful bad injury.

"Someone like Karl could have rested on his laurels. He had one of the toughest battles. Hopefully he can play a big part in the Ulster final. He's been so professional to get himself into the position he's in today. You'd be very proud of them. The effort they put in is massive.

"See Karl and David Walsh? Maybe it's the way sport has gone but, say, with a hamstring, these guys will ice it every three hours and get up in the middle of the night at 2am and 5am to ice it again.

"That's what they do. That's not something a manager needs to say. That's the mindset they have. When you work with players like that, well it's a privilege." Tweet

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