Kieran McKenna

Kieran McKenna (born 14 May 1986) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of EFL League One side Ipswich Town. Prior to becoming manager at Ipswich, he served as the assistant manager of Manchester United. McKenna also managed United's under-18s, and served in the same position for Tottenham Hotspur.

Kieran McKenna
McKenna coaching Manchester United U18s in December 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-05-14) 14 May 1986
Place of birth Coa, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
Club information
Current team
 Ipswich Town (manager)
Youth career
Years Team
1997–2001 Enniskillen Town United[1]
2001–2002 Ballinamallard United
2002–2009 Tottenham Hotspur
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Northern Ireland U19 5 (0)
2005–2006 Northern Ireland U21 7 (1)
Teams managed
Years Team
2018–2021 Manchester United (assistant)
2021– Ipswich Town

McKenna joined Tottenham as a youth player in 2002, having signed a scholarship contract on a transfer from Ballinamallard United. In 2009, at the age of 23, McKenna was forced to retire from playing as a result of a hip injury; resulting in McKenna failing to make a full senior team appearance for Tottenham. McKenna represented the Northern Ireland national team at under-19 and under-21 level.

Playing career

McKenna was a youth footballer at Tottenham Hotspur, before ending his playing career in 2009, due to a hip injury. McKenna went through two years of rehabilitation and had two operations before confirming his decision to retire.[2][3] Prior to joining Tottenham, McKenna played for Ennskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United.[1]

He also represented Northern Ireland at both under-19 and under-21 level; McKenna represented his country of birth in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Qualifiers.

Coaching career

Tottenham Hotspur

After retiring, McKenna took up a career in coaching, and in 2015 was placed in charge of Tottenham Hotspur's under-18 side, having previously coached a variety of age groups within their Academy set-up.[4] McKenna has since revealed that he almost joined the academy coaching staff at Liverpool, of which he would have succeeded Alex Inglethorpe, who was promoted from coach to academy director.

During his tenure at Tottenham, McKenna guided the under-18s to the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.[3] He departed just a year after his appointment with the under-18s, having accepted the opportunity to serve the same role for their Premier League rivals Manchester United.[5]

Manchester United

On August 29 2016, McKenna left his role at Tottenham to join the academy set-up at Manchester Utd. In his second season in charge of the under-18s, McKenna guided Manchester United to the Premier League Northern Division title.[3] On 1 July 2018, along with former United player Michael Carrick, McKenna was promoted to replace Rui Faria as Jose Mourinho's assistant manager, ahead of the forthcoming Premier League season.[6][7]

Mourinho left United on 18 December 2018, and was replaced the next day by club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who was appointed as caretaker manager.[8][9] Despite reports suggesting that the managerial change would result in the recruitment of a new coaching team, both McKenna and Carrick retained their positions under Solskjær.[9]

Ipswich Town

On 16 December 2021, McKenna was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town, signing a three-and-a-half year contract. He will officially take charge from 20 December, alongside assistant Martyn Pert.[10]

Reception

Following McKenna’s arrival as Manchester United's under-18s manager, Indy Boonen, who was a teenage player for United at the time, praised McKenna, stating, "He changed everything. The way we trained was how the opponent played on the Saturday. If you played against West Brom, you trained how they are and focused on their weaknesses."[3] Jim Magilton, the Irish Football Association's elite performance director, agreed with Boonen's appraisal of McKenna, commenting, "He is a meticulous planner yet every session is spontaneous. Nothing is set in stone. He adjusts the session to how the players are and gets what he wants out of the session. Everything is linked and game related. Nothing is for show – it has to be about the game."[3]

Personal life

Since his childhood, McKenna has been a supporter of Manchester United, with reports claiming that his love for the club persuaded his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for the Red Devils in 2016.[3] McKenna also played underage Gaelic football for the Enniskillen Gaels club.[11]

Managerial record
As of 16 December 2021
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
GWDLWin %Ref.
Ipswich Town20 December 2021Present 0 0 0 0 !—
Total 0 0 0 0 !— —

Honours

Manchester United U18s

References
  1. "From Enniskillen to Old Trafford: the 32-year-old Fermanagh native who's Jose Mourinho's right-hand man". The42.ie. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. "Fermanagh man Kieran McKenna takes up Manchester United role". The Irish News. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  3. Who is Kieran McKenna? All you need to know about the Fermanagh man coaching Manchester United with Solskjaer, Belfast Telegraph, retrieved 4 April 2020
  4. "Who is Kieran McKenna? Manchester United coach taking training with Michael Carrick". Sky Sports. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. Kilpatrick, Dan (29 August 2016). "Tottenham U18 boss Kieran McKenna joins Man United – sources". ESPN. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  6. Jackson, Jamie (12 May 2018). "Manchester United assistant manager Rui Faria to leave Old Trafford". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  7. "Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna subject of bold prediction". Manchester Evening News. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  8. "Jose Mourinho: Manchester United sack manager". BBC Sport. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  9. "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named Man Utd caretaker manager until end of season". BBC Sport. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  10. "Welcome Kieran McKenna". Ipswich Town FC. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  11. "Big names show support for Fermanagh minors' ItsNotMinorItMatters fundraiser". Hogan Stand. 29 March 2021.
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