Harte has no intention of quitting, even though he does not have an agreement with the county board to take charge of the Red Hands next year.

“Without a doubt, I really enjoy this particular role and feel privileged to be in that position,” he said.

“I think there’s great young players in Tyrone at the minute, a great mix in terms of young, middle-aged and not so young, and they’re a good bunch to have together.

“They’re very committed athletes, and it’s a pleasure to work with them.”

Mickey Harte has confirmed he is staying on as manager of @TyroneGAALive for 2016. pic.twitter.com/LeGvAnCfip

— Mayo Club '51 (@MayoClub51) August 23, 2015

Harte took come consolation from the quality of his side’s display in front of 53,044 spectators in a gripping Croke Park battle.

“It’s good that they put in a good effort, because they deserved that, because of the work that they put in all year, but as we all know, this is a results business, and there’s only two places in the final, and we’re not in one of them.

“People have always said over the years that the worst place to lose is in a semi-final, and I can quite agree with that. It is not a good place to lose, and our players know that, and they’re devastated.

“We’ll take some consolation from the effort that they put in and the quality that they showed, but the result is everything.”