Kieran McKenna rode the Man United rollercoaster coaching under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer… but is now football management’s next big thing after his success at Ipswich

• McKenna coached under Mourinho, Solskjaer and Rangnick at Old Trafford 
• He has now led Ipswich into the Championship and taken the scalp of Wolves
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

If ever there was a goal that summed up what Kieran McKenna is trying to achieve at Ipswich Town, this was it.

Despite their Carabao Cup tie with Premier League Wolves being balanced on a knife-edge at 2-2, goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky still played the risky short pass out.

The defenders had soon beaten the press, playing the ball down the right. Lee Evans tried to be a bit too clever in midfield but Ipswich recovered the ball instantly.

Omari Hutchinson then transitioned them onto the offensive, Brandon Williams advanced down the left flank to keep the move ticking over and a sequence of slick passes found Jack Taylor 30 yards out.

And Taylor had no other thought – shifting the ball onto his right foot, he unleashed a rocket shot that flew high into the Wolves net, goalkeeper Dan Bentley simply unable to read the swerve let alone react to it.

Kieran McKenna celebrates Ipswich Town’s stunning Carabao Cup victory over Wolves

McKenna’s side look right at home in the Championship after gaining promotion last season

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wHpxkTM9wpA%3Frel%3D0%26start%3D217

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It proved a very worthy winning goal as Ipswich claimed the most eye-catching result yet of McKenna’s 21 months in charge at Portman Road.

The 37-year-old is the youngest coach in the top four divisions and one of the hottest properties in coaching right now. His Ipswich side play with a clearly-defined style that’s both pleasing on the eye and gets results.

Since McKenna came to Ipswich in December 2021, only Pep Guardiola in the top four tiers of English football has won more league games (48 to 46).

Having guided the Tractor Boys back into the Championship after four seasons in League One, McKenna and outsiders alike had a suspicion they’d be able to compete.

That’s proved an understatement – they’ve won seven of their opening eight games back in the second-tier and sit second on goal difference behind the much better resourced Leicester City.

Tuesday night’s victory over Wolves, in which they came back from two down, was achieved even after McKenna made 10 changes to his side. Special things are happening in Suffolk.

Much is made of McKenna’s time working under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, briefly, Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United, but they are mere influences on McKenna.

Jack Taylor scored a stunning 30-yard winner for Ipswich as they took the scalp of Wolves

It came at the climax of a team passing move that started with Ipswich’s own goalkeeper

McKENNA’S STATS AT IPSWICH 

Since Kieran McKenna took charge of his first game at Ipswich on December 29, 2021, no club in the top four tiers have won more league points (160). They have averaged 2.08 points per game across this period.

Only Pep Guardiola at Manchester City has more league wins in this period (48) than McKenna (46).

Only City have been more prolific in league action (159 goals) than McKenna’s Ipswich (147).

Last season, in winning promotion from League One with 101 goals, Ipswich became only the 14th team to reach a century in the top four tiers in England since 1967-68.

This season, McKenna’s side lead the Championship leaderboard for shots (146), shots on target (51) and expected goals (15.3). Only rivals Norwich have equalled their 17 goals scored to date.

McKenna is the youngest manager in the top four divisions in England – he was 37 years, 132 days old against Blackburn last Saturday.

Source: Opta Analyst  

He always had plenty of his own qualities. Solskjaer has described the Northern Irishman as ‘the most thorough and analytical, step-by-step, process-driven coach that I’ve worked with.’

Mourinho recognised McKenna’s qualities when he coached United’s under-18 side and didn’t hesitate in promoting him.

But even since McKenna was forced to retire from playing aged just 22, when on the cusp of Tottenham’s first team, is was evident he was born to coach.

His work ethic marked him out right away and McKenna compiled his first coaching documents before he’d stopped playing.

That stockpile of tactical and training plans has evolved into a style that emphasises press-beating passing out of defence, advanced full-backs, high turnovers and slick build-up in attack.

All that came to the fore as Ipswich won promotion from League One behind champions Plymouth Argyle last season.

Not only were Ipswich the division’s top scorers, with 101 goals in 46 matches, they also had the meanest defence, letting in just 35 goals.

McKenna in the Manchester United dug-out with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in March 2019

McKenna with Michael Carrick at United in 2019 – Carrick is now in charge at Middlesbrough

Although they have kept four clean sheets in Championship action so far, they have looked a bit more vulnerable following the step-up in quality.

In the 4-3 home defeat to Leeds United, their only reverse so far, they had a fair control over the whole game but fatally conceded three times in a nine-minute spell.

Such lapses are rare but present something for McKenna to work on as they continue to adjust to the new standard.

When at United, Solskjaer typically allowed McKenna to work with the defenders having spotted a strength in his understudy.

‘He makes it so easy for the players to see and understand what we wanted from them,’ Solskjaer told The Athletic. ‘He’d do that the day before a game and his memory was also fantastic, his eye for detail too.’

McKenna’s five years with United, initially as under-18 coach and then first-team assistant, served him well.

Both featured plenty of turbulence with Mourinho quitting just a few months after McKenna was brought onto his staff and Solskjaer riding a rollercoaster of emotions before his sacking in November 2021.

McKenna is at the heart of celebrations after Ipswich secured their return to the second tier

Promotion was won from League One in second place behind champions Plymouth Argyle

McKenna has proven to be the perfect choice for Ipswich’s ambitious American owners

‘Being at United, there was massive pressure,’ McKenna told the Daily Telegraph.

‘Every loss is a disaster and the expectation is really high, the scrutiny is really high and it does develop your resilience, your ability to block out noise, your ability to focus on the things that are important and to control what you can control and not worry about the things outside of that.

‘As a manager at any club that is important. It has helped me a lot.’

Perhaps that experience of background noise at Old Trafford explains why McKenna banned Sky Sports News from being shown on the TV screens at Ipswich’s training ground. Instead, it’s drone footage of a training session or match highlights.

While the past is often a burden at United, McKenna has embraced it at Portman Road.

Outside his office is a large print of Sir Bobby Robson holding the UEFA Cup after Ipswich’s 1981 triumph. Sir Alf Ramsey, who steered Ipswich from the Third Division to the Division One title in 1962 before reaching even greater heights with England, is also celebrated.

When he arrived, McKenna politely declined the offer to have such reminders of a more glorious past taken down.

But it’s clear the future burns brightly at Ipswich, too. McKenna was the perfect man to fulfil the vision of American owners GameChanger20 when they took over from Marcus Evans in 2021.

Freddie Ladapo celebrates scoring the goal to draw Ipswich level at 2-2 on Tuesday night

Massimo Luongo celebrates during the 4-3 Championship win over Blackburn on Saturday

Wiping debts of £100million and pledging investment in Portman Road and the training facilities, they set their sights on getting out of League One and back to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

The way things are going, McKenna could deliver that way ahead of schedule.

The problem for Ipswich is that, the better he does, the more interest from higher-level clubs there may be. Brighton were known to admire McKenna before they went for Roberto De Zerbi and that interest will only grow.

Whether with Ipswich or someone else, it seems there’s an inevitability McKenna will soon be managing in the Premier League.

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