No manager - not even a returning Jim McGuinness - would have swayed Michael Murphy towards 17th season with Donegal.
That was the unequivocal answer that the 33-year-old provided yesterday as it emerged that he will join GAAGO’s stable of pundits next summer having drawn a line under his inter-county career last month.
The news came as something of a surprise at the time and arrived shortly after the lengthy appointment process - 97 days in total - to find Declan Bonner’s successor had concluded, with Paddy Carr given the job after Malachy O’Rourke, Rory Kavanagh and McGuinness himself were all linked with the post.
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But what if Donegal had moved quickly after Bonner’s departure by bringing back the manager under whom Murphy enjoyed his greatest days?
Would it have left him with a far more difficult decision to make?
"No is the definite answer,” he said firmly. “Whoever was the manager, I'm not in a position where I am able to give what I know I need to give.
“I know some players can do that and I know some players can manage and mind at the beginning of the year. Maybe take a Tuesday out or a Thursday day. That would absolutely crawl me, I would be an anti-Christ around the place. I wouldn't be an influence. I wouldn't be doing Donegal a service in a way.
“I look back on it and just realise how fortunate I was to be giving it every single night. Yes there were times you might have been injured but you were still giving it to get back. I just wouldn’t have been able to pick and choose and do it.
