MICKEY HARTE SAYS he wants to return to inter-county management following his Derry departure earlier this week.

The three-time All-Ireland winning boss stepped down after one season in charge.

“I’m not ready for the pipe and slippers,” Harte told BBC Sport NI while on punditry duty yesterday.

“I like what I’m doing – I like managing at this level. We’ll see what happens.”

“The world might need a few surprises again,” he added.

"I'm not ready for the pipe and the slippers" 💬🏐

Will we see Mickey Harte back in a coaching role soon? 🤔

Watch Armagh v Kerry build-up live 📺⤵️#BBCGAA pic.twitter.com/HzjVHtxVpv

— BBC SPORT NI (@BBCSPORTNI) July 13, 2024

The 72-year-old Tyrone man also reflected on his short Derry tenure, which ended in the wake of last month’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry.

He steered the Oak Leaf county to Division 1 National League glory, before a premature Ulster championship exit at the hands of Donegal and a difficult All-Ireland group stage campaign. A preliminary quarter-final win over Mayo saw them advance to the last eight, but the Kingdom prevailed by five points.

“We were only there for a year — it was never said to be more than that, maybe other people assumed different things,” said Harte, who swapped Louth for Derry.

“The year was completed and I just thought it was best to step away now.

“It’s hard to put your finger on it. The Donegal defeat knocked the confidence out of the players to a large degree and then it took a lot to get over that. Suspensions and other things didn’t help.

“It’s all in a year’s football, it could have been very different.”

He continued: “I had a good time there. Great lads, very talented footballers. There’s been lots of good memories, made many good friends, more than you’d imagine sometimes.”