What Kieran McKenna said about Ipswich Town “opportunity” – leaving Man United has been fully justified

Kieran McKenna made the jump from Manchester United to Ipswich Town in late 2021 and has lived up to the expectation he set upon his arrival at Portman Road.

The Northern Irishman took his first step into senior management after his exit as a coach at Old Trafford by replacing Paul Cook in December 2021.

The Tractor Boys were 11th in the League One table when he took charge, with the team sitting 10 points adrift of the play-off places.

They ultimately finished 11th that season, but were promoted with a second place finish in the following year.

Ipswich’s rise continued under McKenna as they immediately earned a second consecutive top two finish to earn their place in the Premier League in 2024, making the 39-year-old a club legend in the process.

Kieran McKenna’s first Ipswich Town words

McKenna made the switch from Man United to Ipswich in December 2021, with the coach claiming he felt it was the right project to take the leap into management with.

He suggested Portman Road was the place for him to build something, which led to his decision to leave the Premier League club.

“It feels like the right time, project and club to make my first step into first-team management,” said McKenna, via the BBC.

“Leaving a club like Manchester United was obviously a difficult decision, but I strongly believe in the opportunity to build something here.”

While the Suffolk outfit didn’t immediately feel a huge impact from McKenna’s arrival, ultimately struggling to a mid-table finish in the 2021/22 campaign, there is no doubt that the former Man United coach has lived up to these comments in the years since.

The Tractor Boys had been out of the Championship since 2019, and the club were floundering in the third tier and unable to live up to past glories.

But McKenna saw the opportunity to turn the team around, and he walked the walk after talking the talk when he joined Ipswich.

In just over two years, he took them back to the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich project

McKenna saw a project he could build at Ipswich in December 2021, and he absolutely delivered on that.

The likes of Wes Burns, Luke Woolfenden, Conor Chaplin, Cameron Burgess and Sam Morsy all played for McKenna in that first half-season in charge.

This quintet also featured in the Premier League for the Suffolk outfit just a few years later, showing just what kind of potential he saw in the squad.

While they of course added players through the transfer market, there were also the likes of Leif Davis and Nathan Broadhead that also played in each of the top three divisions for Ipswich in this time.

McKenna introduced an attractive style of play and quickly won the support of the fans, and has become their best manager in a long time.

While their return to the top flight led to the disappointment of a 19th place finish, it was by no means a poor showing from the team.

Given where Ipswich were when McKenna took over, there’s no doubt that he has fully justified his decision to make the switch from Man United.

Ipswich Town: Jamie Maugè on his journey to first pro deal

Ipswich boy Jamie Maugè has signed his first professional contract with the club. Stuart Watson spoke to the striker about his journey and ambitions.

Given Ipswich’s population of around 140,000, a remarkable number of players have made a mark at their hometown club over the years.

There’s been Jason Dozzell, Richard Wright, Kieron Dyer, Titus Bramble, Luke Hyam and Andre Dozzell. We’ve currently got Luke Woolfenden, Harry Clarke and Cameron Humphreys.

Is it time now for a striker to join that list? We had a brief taste of it with Macauley Bonne in 2021, but he was on loan. An academy produced forward, Ipswich born and bred, banging in the goals would be the dream. Jamie Maugè, having just signed a two-year pro deal, is hoping he can be that man.