Mortimer, who led Mayo in 2009 and 2010, was out of the country for the entire Allianz Football League and only returned recently.

He could yet force his way back into the side, with Horgan admitting: "It's not fair to say that Trevor is out of our plans at the moment. That story grew legs of its own.

"We've talked to him and he knows he's being assessed over these few weeks, like a few other players. We're giving guys every chance to show us what they can do."

Mortimer, who turns 31 in July, will hope to impress for Shrule/Glencorrib over the coming weeks. He lined out for them in a league game against Ballaghderreen last Saturday, impressing in a playmaking role during the first half.

His young brother Conor is currently recovering from the knee operation he had in February and is likely to miss the rest of the season.

Horan used 35 players during Mayo's league run, 13 of whom were making their competitive debuts for the county. He insists that there are 'still a few places up for grabs' in his Championship panel.

One man who is central to Horan's plans is newly-appointed captain Alan Dillon. The 2006 All-Star forward will take on the captaincy role, with Andy Moran named as vice-captain.

Horan told the Mayo News: "It was a hard call to make. We're very lucky to have two phenomenal leaders like Alan and Andy and both will continue to be leaders in this group."

Tom Parsons, Barry Moran, Aidan Kilcoyne, Mark Ronaldson, Brian Benson and Ruaidhrí O’Connor were released from the Mayo squad last week. Horan's charges are due to face Antrim in a challenge match in Kiltimagh on Sunday week.