Kieran McKenna announced his Ipswich Town departure last Wednesday, with former Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in contention to take over at Portman Road.
It came as a surprise that Kieran McKenna decided to step away from his role at Ipswich Town after guiding the Tractor Boys back to the Premier League for a second time in five years.
McKenna had been linked with the Fulham job, but the former Manchester United coach also revealed that he wouldn’t be stepping straight into a new job.
Almost a week has passed, and Ipswich Town are wasting no time looking for McKenna’s successor.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on Ipswich Town’s shortlist to replace Kieran McKenna
McKenna had a strong reputation as a coach at United before he became a hero at Ipswich Town.
Over the past five years, McKenna has built a legacy at Portman Road – taking over the side in League One and leaving them in the Premier League.
It won’t be an easy task to follow in McKenna’s footsteps, especially in the top-flight, but Ipswich Town will be doing their utmost to find a coach who will make the transition as smooth as possible.
Strasbourg boss Gary O’Neil has been a contender since McKenna’s exit, but is just one of the leading candidates, along with former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as per BBC Sport.
Since leaving United in 2021, Solskjaer has held one managerial role before being dismissed at Besiktas last summer.
He was considered for the interim head coach role after Ruben Amorim was sacked in January, but United opted for Michael Carrick over the 53-year-old.
Interestingly, McKenna worked directly under Solskjaer at United, so the coaching styles may have some similarities.
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a leading contender for the Ipswich Town job
- Kieran McKenna left Ipswich Town after leading the Tractor Boys back to the Premier League
- Gary O’Neil is another strong contender linked with the vacant Premier League position
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Kieran McKenna appreciated visit from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick
In 2022, Solskjær and Carrick visited the Ipswich Town players and staff at a hotel before a 1-0 win away at Doncaster.
McKenna was pleased to welcome his former colleagues and appreciated the support Solskjaer and Carrick had shown to the club during their visit.
“It was very nice,” Kieran told Ipswich club media when asked about their support.
“As I said after the game, they’re two good friends, two former colleagues, and two very knowledgeable, experienced and successful football men.
“It was good to have their support on Tuesday. It’s nice to know that they are following all of the games and supporting Ipswich now; wanting us to win and do well.
“It was great for them to come to the hotel before the game to meet some of the players and get around the staff. It was a nice boost for us on Tuesday and hopefully we can get them down to Portman Road at some stage as well.”
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