Lee Keegan says he would have to consider his future in football if he suffered another concussion.

The former Footballer of the Year suffered the brain injury for the third time in his career after shipping a heavy challenge from Tyrone's Padraig McNulty during the Allianz League, which also left him with a dislocated shoulder that required surgery.

"Yeah, it probably is a bit of a concern," the Mayo wing back told the Irish Daily Star at a SuperValu event yesterday.

"The way I play the game and the way the position is, you're constantly in contact.

"But if you go out thinking of that, you're going to pull out of challenges and so, I suppose, it can be just bad luck as well. If it happens again we'll have to really sit down and maybe assess where I'm going after that. I'm not getting any younger."

Keegan, who has declared himself fit for next weekend's All-Ireland qualifier against Limerick, noted that as players get stronger, so too do the hits.

"That middle third now has become like a rugby zone," he continued.

"The hits are heavier, the tackles are bigger and players are bigger and in better shape. When I first played, the gym wasn't too interesting for me - now it's a huge part of the GAA and the culture of it.

"I'm not its biggest fan, to be honest. I prefer running or playing with a football but teams have definitely become more physical. If it works for teams, they're going to do it. If it doesn't, they're going to have to assess where they're going wrong.

"You look at Kildare at the weekend and they looked to be overreliant on gym work rather than maybe basic skills. We tend to pride ourselves on our football rather than how many weights we can lift."

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