Former Man United coach Kieran McKenna wins Championship manager of the year award | OneFootball

Former Manchester United coach, Kieran McKenna, has added another impressive string to his bow by winning the Championship manager of the season.

The Northern Irishman has done a truly outstanding job as manager of Ipswich Town and decisively shot down the cacophony of critics he had when he was at Old Trafford.

McKenna left United in 2021 and joined Ipswich, who were languishing in the third tier of English football.

Fast forward to April 2024 and the Tractor Boys find themselves on the brink of automatic promotion to the Premier League after being promoted from League One last season.

With three games left to go, Ipswich are top of the league with a two point advantage over Leeds United in third.

As a result, the Enniskillen man has been awarded for his fine work by receiving the prestigious accolade.

According to Ipswich Town’s official website, McKenna claimed on receiving the award, “it’s a night to be proud, individually, for my family and for everyone at the Football Club”.

“There are a lot of sacrifices to be in this profession and for myself I don’t pause to think about moments like this, but when you get the opportunity it’s hopefully a proud moment for so many people I want to thank”.

“Winning Manager of the Season reflects a team who have done fantastically well on the pitch, which in turn reflects the hard work of so many people at the club and the impact of the supporters as well”.

“Hopefully it’s a proud night for everyone, even though we know we’re still in the season with important games still to go”.

The manager’s rise has not gone unnoticed and it is widely thought that it is only a matter of time before he is managing in the Premier League, be that at Ipswich or elsewhere.

Crystal Palace were thought to be interested in hiring him before they decided on Oliver Glasner earlier in the season.

It was also spectacularly reported that United harbour an interest in bringing their former employee back into the fold as manager to replace the much-maligned Erik ten Hag.

In less savoury news for Red Devils’ fans, the manager was also linked to the soon-to-be vacant Liverpool job.

However, most recent reports suggest the Ulsterman is likely to stay at Ipswich next season and almost for certain if they are successful in their promotion quest.

Described as “one of the most promising young football managers in the modern game”, there seems no doubt the future is bright for the former Red Devil and United fans will certainly be hoping to have the opportunity to take on his team at Old Trafford next season in the league.

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