Who is Kieran McKenna? The Ipswich boss wanted by Man Utd, Chelsea & Brighton

Ipswich Town have achieved back-to-back promotions, climbing all the way from League One to the Premier League against all the odds.

Guiding the Tractor Boys’ journey is Kieran McKenna - the 37-year-old Northern Irishman who is carving out a reputation as one of the most ambitious and exciting young managers working in the British game.

Formerly Jose Mourinho's assistant at Man Utd, McKenna played a key role during his time in the Red Devils' first-team coaching set-up, before leaving to pursue his own career in management.

But, who is McKenna and why are some of the Premier League's biggest clubs interested in appointing him?

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What team does Kieran McKenna manage?

McKenna is in charge of Ipswich and has been since December 2021.

What formation does Kieran McKenna play?

McKenna has proven himself to be an adaptable coach, with Ipswich usually lining up in a 4-2-3-1.

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How good is Kieran McKenna?

McKenna is regarded as one of the most talented coaches in the English football pyramid and the fact he guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions is testament to that fact.

His fast and direct Ipswich team have earned the plaudits for their rate of goalscoring - they netted 101 in League One last season while finishing second to Plymouth Argyle - and their tireless work rate off the ball.

Ipswich were the Championship’s top scorers in 2023/24, netting 92 times, and McKenna's side did a fine job of sharing the goalscoring burden.

Nathan Broadhead and Conor Chaplin, who dealt incredibly well with the step up from League One to the Championship, led the way on the goalscoring front, while there were important contributions from winter signings Ali Al-Hamadi and Kieffer Moore, moves necessitated by the injury to first-choice forward George Hirst.

To carry out their brand of football consistently in the Championship was a challenge, doing so with a squad of players who were recently playing in the third tier was nothing short of astonishing.

McKenna typically asks a lot from his full-backs, and left-back Leif Davis was among their most important players in 2023/24, contributing an incredible 21 assists - the most of any player in the second tier.

Ipswich's full backs are charged with getting high and wide, and even winning the ball back high up the pitch before opponents have a chance to get out.

They are solid off the ball and are always on the lookout for a counter-attack opportunity. When they attack, Ipswich tend to get five or six players forward, ensuring plenty of opportunities for crosses or cutbacks from the byline.

After a chronic hip injury ended his career aged only 22, McKenna enrolled on a sports science course at Loughborough University, which he combined with coaching at Leicester, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest, and had a job waiting for him with Spurs when he graduated.

Upon graduating, he became Tottenham's Head of Academy Performance Analysis and by 2015 he was the club’s Under-18s manager.

First-team coach Kieran McKenna has left the club to become Ipswich Town's new manager.#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 16, 2021

In 2014, McKenna met with compatriot and then-Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers over a coaching position in the Liverpool youth ranks, when Alex Inglethorpe was promoted to academy director, but he stayed with Spurs.

A run to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals in 2015 included a victory against Man Utd - a side including a certain Marcus Rashford - and then-academy head Nicky Butt was sufficiently convinced to offer McKenna a job in a newly-restructured United youth setup in 2016.

For a boyhood Man Utd fan, it was the crowning moment of his career.

“It’s a dream come true really. I was a massive United fan. My dad brought me over to my first game in the 1994 season to see them lift the Premier League trophy,” he said upon his appointment.

His progress through the United ranks was rapid and when Rui Faria left his post as Jose Mourinho’s assistant in 2018, McKenna, along with Michael Carrick, entered the first-team setup.

He’d only been at Old Trafford a matter of 18 months or so, but at 32, had already taken his place on the bench alongside one of the most storied managers in the game.

When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the Special One at the end of 2018, he retained his position in the coaching set-up.

Although reports emerged of concerns among first-team players over the quality of McKenna’s sessions, he is credited with the development of players like Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong.

In 2023, Ipswich confirmed their promotion to the second tier with a 6-0 win over Exeter City in League One. Now, McKenna and his team have reached the riches of the Premier League.

An unassuming character, McKenna is more comfortable on the training ground than in the limelight but such has been Ipswich’s progression under his watch that he has become one of the most talked-about managers on the scene.

Man Utd have been heavily linked with appointing McKenna as Erik ten Hag's replacement, while Chelsea are also interested in the event Mauricio Pochettino is sacked.

However, links with Brighton & Hove Albion are the most prevalent, with McKenna currently the favourite to replace the departed Roberto De Zerbi.

What trophies has Kieran McKenna won?

He finished second in League One and second in the Championship with Ipswich, meaning McKenna's only managerial trophy comes in the form of the U18 Premier League Northern Division crown with Man Utd in 2017-18.

Who has Kieran McKenna managed previously?

Ipswich is McKenna's first managerial position. He was previously assistant manager at Man Utd.

How old is Kieran McKenna?

McKenna was born on 14 May 1986. He is 38 years old at the time of writing.