David Clifford will make his senior Kerry debut at some stage during the Allianz League, selector Mikey Sheehy has revealed.
The Fossa youngster announced himself on the national stage when shooting 4-04 in last season’s All-Ireland minor final, a 24-point win over Derry.
That capped off a two-year spell that yielded 10-68 in 12 minor championship games and led to him being linked to a move to the AFL, like former Kerry minor star Mark O’Connor, currently of Geelong.
That Clifford’s displays weren’t just about scoring – he has the physical presence, is two-footed and can spot a pass – only added to the excitement about Kerry’s great hope as they bid to discover a way to stop Dublin and Mayo.
Sheehy, holder of eight senior All-Ireland medals, urges caution around Clifford but acknowledges he has something special.
"He’s training away with the senior players at the moment," Sheehy told RTÉ Sport at the launch of the Allianz Football League.
"He’s looking good, he’s an exceptional player. There’s going to be awful pressure on him and we’d be hoping that we’d manage him.
"Eamon Fitzmaurice [Kerry manager], I think, is very good at doing that with players but there is ferocious expectations when you see a guy, outside of the other minor games that he played, four goals and four points in an All-Ireland minor final.
"That’s absolutely phenomenal. He is the most talked about young player in the country.
"He’s big and he’s strong, he’ll be 19 this month. He’s still only a kid, it’s a huge step up from minor to senior.
"But particularly the way all teams are strength and conditioned now. He’s an exceptional talent and it remains to be seen… certainly will get game-time during the league, there’s no doubt about that."
With great talent, comes great pressure.
It’s not a county known for patience and it has been four years since their last All-Ireland victory, something that can be regarded as a famine in that part of the world.
"The Kerry public can be very critical but they’re excited about him as well," added Sheehy.
"I wouldn’t say they are unrealistic because they see what they have.
"I know for a fact that when David will play, and I hope he plays well but if he has a poor game people will be saying ‘I wonder is he as good as they’re saying?’
"But he is, he’s an exceptional lad. He has talent and there’s no doubt about it. I use this word patience and they have to be patient with him."
Sheehy also played down some of the talk of modern-day inter-county football being too demanding on the players.
According to the Austin Stacks man, young men and women are choosing to get involved and the benefits outweigh the negatives.
"If a player doesn’t like it he can walk away from it," said Sheehy, who confirmed that Jonathan Lyne is the only non-retired player not currently involved this year from last season's panel.
"I saw a lot of articles there recently about [the demands]. I don’t think so.
"Nowadays it’s a fact of life, people like to stay fit. If they weren’t playing football they’d be still going to their gym and looking for their six-packs. I don’t [buy] into that at all.
"I’m only speaking now from a Kerry point of view. I think the players are enjoying it, they are well looked after and if they don’t like it they can walk away.
"Nobody is holding a gun to their head to get them to play. I think it’s overstated a little bit."
Kerry begin their defence of the Allianz League against Donegal in Killarney on 28 January.