Fabrizio Romano contemplates the chances of Ipswich town manager Kieran McKenna to take over at Manchester United
Fabrizio Romano argues about the chances of highly-rated Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna succeeding Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. McKenna has guided Ipswich through a strong season in the Championship, currently second in the table with a game left.
The Tractor Boys need one point to earn promotion to the Premier League by solidifying their second place, avoiding play-offs. They secured a victory against Coventry City in their last game after suffering three draws and a loss.
McKenna joined Ipswich during their time at League One after his tenure with the Red Devils’ U18 as their manager. The 37-year-old guided Ipswich to a Championship promotion in the 2022-23 season after enjoying a 19-game unbeaten run.
Earlier, the former Tottenham Hotspur youth player deployed a structured 3-4-1-2 formation with variations according to the opposition and requirements. He used a double pivot of midfielders alongside the three-man defence who play a pivotal role in the possessional buildup.
However, this season McKenna has used the 4-2-3-1 formation more often to help his attacking style of play. Ipswich have scored the most goals in the Championship so far because of McKenna’s attractive attacking philosophy.
Speaking on the Daily Briefing, Romano highlighted the potential of McKenna taking over at Man United from Ten Hag. He said:
“Two good managers on the up [Marco Rose and Kieran McKenna]. Two excellent managers, but at the moment I’m not aware of contacts with Man United or Chelsea. So let’s see what’s going to happen with these two clubs in general, not just for these two managers at the end of the season. But at the moment they are not speaking to these two managers. For McKenna there is a lot of interest and appreciation, but at the moment it’s not something really concrete. So I think we have to be patient on that one.”
Ten Hag has struggled to install cohesiveness and a particular philosophy within the United squad, hampering their current season. The Dutchman shunned the attacking and possessional philosophy he applied at Ajax, earning him the United role.
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United experienced an early elimination from the Champions League and the Carabao Cup while losing several games. They are currently sixth in the Premier League with 12 losses, losing their minimum objective of the Champions League qualification.
With four games remaining, United must cover six points to beat Spurs to the fifth-place finish. As speculation around Ten Hag’s job continues, McKenna could be the exact manager that the Red Devils have waited for so long.
