Armagh legend Oisin McConville believes that his nephew Rian O'Neill will be back with the county team "sooner rather than later".
After Armagh's opening day defeat to Galway at the weekend, manager Kieran McGeeney confirmed that O'Neill wasn't in the squad, and said that he has been given time off for a few months to deal with personal matters.
McGeeney's open ended answer has lead some to believe that the All-Star might not return this season, but McConville told the BBC GAA Social podcast that he expects his young relative to be back in an Armagh jersey this year.
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"I imagine he'll be back in sooner rather than later.
"The more he's able to stay away for whatever length of time it takes and to go back in and be fully committed [the better] because if you're not fully committed in an inter-county set-up then you're going to get found out.
"There are quite a few lads who are stepping away, taking a break, retiring too early.
"If you look at Clifford, him and Rian are very, very similar in profile, ability and the fact that they probably do have a lot of focus and attention on them and it's up to you how you deal with that.
"The game that we play, we're under no illusions about how much commitment it takes to play this game. Plus the fact that it's amateur.
"There are other strands to life. Whether you want to take a break, whether you want to walk away, that is entirely your choice. And the fact that Geezer [McGeeney] has given him the freedom to do that is a positive from his point of view."
O'Neill was one of the biggest stars in Armagh's All-Ireland winning crusade last year, playing a key role in helping them lift the Sam Maguire for only the second time in their history.
During the inter-provincial tournament that was created to trial the new rules last season, Ulster won the competition, and the Orchard forward contributed greatly to their success, particularly by making the most of the new two-point arc.
If Armagh are to retain their title, they are going to need all of the firepower that they can get, so they will be hoping that McConville is right, and O'Neill is back in the mix very soon.
