{"id":605500,"date":"2021-12-16T16:51:10","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T21:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=605500"},"modified":"2021-12-16T16:51:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T21:51:24","slug":"ipswich-town-kieran-mckenna-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2021\/12\/16\/ipswich-town-kieran-mckenna-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Ipswich Town Appoint Kieran McKenna as New Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ipswich Town have confirmed that they have appointed Manchester United<\/a> first-team coach Kieran McKenna as their new manager.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old has joined the club on a three-and-a-half-year deal, and will take training for the first time on Monday.<\/p>\n

Joining McKenna at Portman Road is Martyn Pert, who was also a member of the backroom staff at Old Trafford.<\/p>\n

Ipswich Town Appoint Kieran McKenna as New Manager<\/h2>\n

‘Highly Respected’<\/h3>\n

Despite it being his role as a manager, the Northern Irishman is well-thought of in football.<\/p>\n

McKenna rose through the ranks at Old Trafford – initially taking charge of the academy sides – before taking over as assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer under the regime of Jose Mourinho.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Ipswich Town club website<\/a>, chief executive Mark Ashton said: “I\u2019m delighted to officially welcome Kieran and Martyn to the club.<\/p>\n

“Kieran is a highly-respected young coach who has been working at the top level of English football and with one of the biggest clubs in world football for a number of years in Manchester United.<\/p>\n

“He comes to the club with pedigree within the game and with exciting plans about how he is going to take the team forward. When we met, there was a clear meeting of minds in terms of how we will execute the vision of this football club.”<\/p>\n

Big Expectations<\/h3>\n

Arriving with big expectations, McKenna will be charged with bringing instant success to Portman Road.<\/p>\n

The Tractor Boys have endured a difficult first of the half of the season and are currently 12th in the League One table.<\/p>\n

Alongside his assistant, fans will be hoping that they can still reach the play-offs this season, or even make a late push for the automatic promotion spots.<\/p>\n

On his arrival, McKenna said:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d like to thank Mark Ashton and the owners for putting their faith in me and Martyn to take the club forward,\u201d<\/p>\n

“Leaving a club like Manchester United was obviously a difficult decision, but I strongly believe in the opportunity to build something here.<\/p>\n

“It feels like the right time, project and Club to make my first step into first-team management.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

Main Photo
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>