Kieran McKenna says there were five Manchester United players Ipswich simply could not match up against

Add as preferred source on Google

Kieran McKenna returned to Old Trafford with Ipswich Town on Wednesday night, only to suffer a 3-2 loss.

Manchester United beat Ipswich Town 3-2 in the Premier League, despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half when Patrick Dorgu was dismissed for a dangerous tackle on Omari Hutchinson.

The newly promoted side were able to put up a fight against United but it wasn’t enough.

Kieran McKenna had been thriving in his first managerial role since leaving United in 2021 – until back-to-back promotions led them back to the top flight, where they’ve struggled and currently sit 18th in the table.

The Northern Ireland coach, 38, will still take a lot from his first trip to Old Trafford as a first team manager.

Ipswich put up a fight but conceded three goals on the night.

Kieran McKenna verdict on Manchester United 3-2 Ipswich Town

In his post-match press conference, McKenna explained that he was disappointed with the goals Ipswich conceded on the night.

He also admitted that United were ‘stronger’ than the visitors, despite having one less player on the pitch for most of the game.

There were at least five United players McKenna felt Ipswich struggled to deal with, but he said that without naming them.

“They were stronger than us at both ends of the pitch,” McKenna told reporters, as quoted by East Anglian Daily Times. “They still had three, big, high quality centre-halves to defend their goal, while their two centre forwards were stronger than us on the long ball.”

Interestingly, McKenna singled out the two centre-forwards who were on the pitch. Joshua Zirkzee performed well but Rasmus Hojlund only touched the ball 12 times.

Furthermore, Zirkzee only managed to touch the ball twice in Ipswich’s box, and club captain Bruno Fernandes urged teammates to be more aggressive in attack.

McKenna hails Bruno Fernandes set pieces

One positive from Ruben Amroim’s spell as head coach is United are improving in terms of set pieces.

United have scored 10 goals from set pieces in the Premier League this season, which surpasses the tally they managed last season (9).

It’s a developing trend and one that will help Amorim’s side win football matches in the future.

McKenna praised Fernandes’ set piece delivery on Wednesday night, adding: “In the first half, with the two set plays, I think the first one is a really good ball – I’m not sure it’s a free-kick – but it’s a really good ball.

“The second one, there’s a block at the back post, but we need to defend it better.”