McKenna to REJECT Man Utd and sign new Ipswich contract

Cameron Smith

27 May 2024 16:45 BST
3 min read

Kieran McKenna, Man Utd, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is set to snub interest from Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion in favour of signing a contract extension at Portman Road.

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McKenna, 38, has been heavily linked with an Ipswich exit after guiding the club to back-to-back promotions, but he is now likely to sign a new long-term contract in East Anglia, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

The Northern Irishman was appointed as Ipswich manager in December 2021 and he guided the club to League One promotion during his first full season at the club.

McKenna then masterminded a second-place finish in the 2023-24 Championship campaign, with the Tractor Boys ending the campaign just one point behind title winners Leicester City.

Following Mauricio Pochettino’s departure from Chelsea, McKenna quickly emerged as one of the Blues’ preferred options to take over. However, he has reportedly withdrawn his name from consideration and the west London club are set to appoint Leicester boss Enzo Maresca instead.

A return to Manchester United has also been mooted as a possibility, with McKenna one of the Red Devils’ leading candidates if they opt to sack Erik ten Hag. Brighton are also interested in the Ipswich boss following Roberto De Zerbi’s exit.

However, with the Seagulls set to miss out on McKenna, they have turned their attention to re-appointing Graham Potter as De Zerbi’s replacement, according to The Guardian.

Kieran McKenna to stay at Ipswich

News that McKenna is set to extend his stay at Portman Road will come as a huge relief to Ipswich fans, who were panicked by the potential of losing their star manager.

The former Man Utd assistant manager, who held this position under Jose Mourinho, has won 76 of his 131 games in charge of Ipswich, losing just 20 times.

They scored the most goals of any team in the Championship last season (92), while they maintained the seventh-best defensive record with 57 goals conceded.