Jim McGuinness: Derry will be 'tough nut for ground zero' Donegal in Ulster opener

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness says he will be facing a manager "who has put the fear of god" into him more than any other when his side play Mickey Harte's Derry in next year's Ulster SFC.

In his previous Donegal stint between 2011 and 2014, McGuinness' side beat Harte's Tyrone in three Ulster ties.

But McGuinness insists that he has huge admiration for Harte's achievements.

"He definitely kept me up late many a night in years gone by," McGuinness told BBC Sport NI on Sunday.

"Nobody would put the fear of god into you more than Mickey to be honest with you.

"I've great respect for him and what he does. I'm delighted to see him back."

During his first Donegal reign, McGuinness' side defeated Tyrone in three Ulster SFC encounters

With Donegal having suffered relegation to Division Two during this year's National League and also enduring a disappointing championship campaign, McGuinness has returned after a nine-year gap to take charge of a squad that he describes as being "back to ground zero".

"We are where we are and we know what we need to do and we have to try and build from the bottom up now and make sure everybody is moving in the right direction and that's what we will be focusing on in the coming weeks and months.

"Mickey will have them [Derry] in fine fettle. They are going for three in a row so we know we're at.

"In the bigger scheme of things, we will probably consider Derry a top-tier team. We've a couple of tiers to reach over the next couple of years hopefully.

"We know what's ahead of us. They've really grasped the nettle in terms of the Ulster Championship and they will be a very tough nut to crack but at the same time, it's one of those fixtures which does get you excited and I think most people will be looking forward to that game."

'I can see why he took the Derry job'

McGuinness added the he understands why the three-time All-Ireland winning Tyrone boss took the shock decision to accept the managerial role with the Red Hand County's arch Ulster rivals.

"There was a lot of controversy around the decision on one level but from my point of view, on the outside looking in, I can see why.

"He sees a team with a huge amount of potential. They could potentially win the All-Ireland and he is a man that has been proven to get teams over the line with three All-Ireland titles to his name so it makes a lot of sense on the football side of things, for all the noise that has been reported around it.

"We'll know we need to be ready. We'll need to be on top form to compete with that Derry team and particularly a Derry team that's coached by Mickey."