 "Who is Kieran McKenna, the football coach attracting interest from Manchester United and Chelsea?")
Kieran McKenna has become the new hottest property in English football with giants like Manchester United and Chelsea chasing his signature to become their new manager.
Chelsea have recently let go of Mauricio Pochettino after just one season despite them finishing sixth in the Premier League with five consecutive wins in a season that was marked with injuries and instability due to the influx of a host of players.
United have Erik ten Hag at the helm but the Dutch is in a precarious position after the club finished eighth in the league - their worst in the Premier League era.
This means both clubs are on the lookout for a new manager. While many experienced and renowned coaches are available in the market, Chelsea and United have shown keen interest in hiring McKenna.
As per Sky Sports, United’s new CEO Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox recently met with McKenna’s representatives to try to make a final decision.
Also, as per the Guardian, Chelsea have already approached McKenna’s Ipswich Town.
So, who is McKenna and what makes him so special?
McKenna, 37, recently made headlines for helping Championship side Ipswich qualify for the Premier League for the first time since 2002. They did so after securing the second automatic promotion spot on Saturday by finishing as the runner-up behind champion Leicester in the second-division league.
The interesting thing is that this is the second straight promotion for Ipswich.
McKenna was appointed as Ipswich manager in December 2021 when the club was 12th in League One, the third-division in English football.
This incredible journey of Ipswich also helped McKenna win the League Managers Association’s Manager of the Year award this week, beating the likes of Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta.
Playing career
Only 37, McKenna entered coaching very early as he retired at the age of 22 due to a hip injury. He never played senior team football but featured for youth teams of Tottenham Hotspur and Northern Irish sides Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United.
Coaching career
McKenna, who holds a sports science degree from Loughborough University, started coaching with the Spurs U-18 side and also coached the United U-18 team before taking over as the first-team coach.
Managerial style
McKenna is known for his expansive and attacking football. Under him, Ipswich scored 92 goals in 46 matches in the Championship which is the highest among all teams.
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