Kieran McKenna has received praise from Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer for his work as Ipswich Town manager, leading the team to a second-place finish and automatic promotion last year.
Lineker described McKenna as an exciting manager and praised the work he has done with Ipswich, highlighting his experience as a youth team coach at Manchester United and his time at Tottenham.
Ipswich’s recent 1-0 win over Southampton demonstrated the team’s progress under McKenna, who has helped them climb to second place in the Championship table. McKenna’s success suggests he could eventually become a Premier League manager, potentially with Ipswich
Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer have praised the work Kieran McKenna has done so far at Ipswich Town.
McKenna took charge of the first team at Portman Road in December 2021 and has since guided the League One side to title success.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager has received widespread praise for the work he has done with the Tractor Boys over the past two years.
McKenna guided the team to an impressive second-place finish in last year’s league, as his players earned 98 points en route to automatic promotion from the third tier.
The club are now aiming for another promotion this year, with the aim of regaining a place in the Premier League.
Ipswich have been out of the top flight since 2002 and have only reached the Championship play-offs three times in the years since.
What did Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer say about Kieran McKenna?
Lineker was asked about emerging managers outside the Premier League that people should keep an eye on.
The Match of the Day host quickly turned his attention to McKenna, labeling the Ipswich boss as one of the most exciting managers outside the top flight.
He praised the 37-year-old’s work.
“I thought he did a great job with them,” Lineker said, via The Rest is Football podcast.
“He’s young, he was Manchester United’s youth coach, he was at Tottenham a little bit before that.
“He did a great job.
“They are flying to the top of the league.”
Alan Shearer agreed, saying “he’s doing very well.”
Ipswich picked up three more important points on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win over promotion rivals Southampton at St. Mary’s. It was a clear sign of the team’s progress under McKenna that they were able to join a team that was in the Premier League last year and win.
The Suffolk side are currently second in the Championship table, ahead of Leicester City ahead of tonight’s match against the Foxes.
Ipswich are just one point behind leaders Preston North End after seven games.
McKenna’s team will aim to maintain their form at the beginning of this season to aim for a top 2 position.
But this year’s competitive championship is likely to see teams ebb and flow in the race for automatic promotion this campaign.
Next up for Ipswich is a clash with Blackburn Rovers at Portman Road on September 23.
How important is Kieran McKenna to Ipswich Town?
McKenna deserves all the praise he has received for the work he has done so far with Ipswich.
The coach left Man United after things fell apart at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ventured out to become a coach himself.
It has paid off and it is only a matter of time before he becomes a Premier League manager at some point in his career.
This could still happen for Ipswich, as their form earlier this season has suggested they could be a promotion contender.
