Diarmuid Connolly didn't do enough to force his way into Jim Gavin's 26-man squad for next week's semi-final against Mayo, according to Oisín McConville.
The five-time All-Ireland winner returned to the Dublin side for the first time since the final of 2017 against Tyrone yesterday.
Named originally as a substitute, the 32-year-old was one of six late changes made to the side that ran out 1-16 to 0-13 winners in Omagh in a match that rarely rose above the level of a training session.
Starting at midfield, Connolly scored one point and was black-carded late on.
And former Armagh star McConville reckons that the lack of intensity as well as a 686-day gap since Connolly's last appearance for the Boys in Blue didn't go in the St Vincent's man's favour.
"He looked like a player who had missed a lot of football at this level," he told RTÉ Sport.
"This is a step up from the level he's been playing at.
"He was playing against fringe players, Tyrone’s second team, he still has another level to go up.
"For me he didn’t do enough to get into the 26 but that’s not to say he can’t improve over the next number of weeks but for this season he probably is running out of time."
Mayo await in Saturday's semi-final at Croke Park after overcoming a fancied Donegal side, who were Ulster champions.
Five-in-a-row chasing Dublin are favourites to progress to another final.
"Will brings you a long way and that Mayo team has a hell of a lot of will, resilience, everything you associate with Mayo over this past couple of years came out to play on Saturday night," McConville said.
"They are on a roll, they have momentum. Yesterday's Dublin v Tyrone game did neither team any favour considering the pace the game was played at.
"But I’d just expect the Dubs over the 80 minutes that the games go on for just to have enough with the quality they have off the bench to beat Mayo."
