Kieran McKenna leaves Manchester United to become Ipswich manager
Kieran McKenna has left his post as the first-team coach at Manchester United and has been hired as the new manager at Ipswich Town. The English giants were content to grant permission to the Northern Irishman to take up the position, as it was a great opportunity for the 35-year-old.
Kieran Mckenna joined Manchester United in 2016 as head coach of the Under-18s team and led the youngsters to Premier League Northern Division title glory in just his second season in charge. The arrival of Jose Mourinho at United paved the way for the 35-year-old to be incorporated into the first-team coaching set up in the summer of 2018. The Northern Irishman stayed in that role after Mourinho was sacked from his managerial role in 2018, but incoming boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer retained his presence throughout his entire tenure.Â
McKenna kept his job at Old Trafford after the Norwegian was sacked, but the 35-year-old was looking to end his tenure at the Manchester club and helds talks with Ipswich Town. United granted the Northern Irishman permission to take up the role and it has now been confirmed that he will leave Old Trafford and succeed John McGreal at Portman Road.
“I’d like to thank Mark Ashton and the owners for putting their faith in me and Martyn to take the club forward. Leaving a club like Manchester United was obviously a difficult decision, but I strongly believe in the opportunity to build something here. It feels like the right time, project and Club to make my first step into first-team management. For now, the focus for the team has to be on a huge game on Saturday. After that, I cannot wait to meet everyone and get to work," McKenna told Ipswich’s official website after signing a three-year contract.