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Kieran McKenna (born 14 May 1986) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of club Ipswich Town.
Born in England, McKenna was raised in Northern Ireland and played youth football for Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2002, and had represented Northern Ireland at youth level before a hip injury curtailed his playing career.
After studying sports science at Loughborough University, McKenna coached Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at under-18 level, and also worked as a first-team coach and assistant manager at Manchester United before being appointed as manager of Ipswich Town in 2021.
McKenna represented Northern Ireland at both under-19 and under-21 level. He was made captain of Northern Ireland's under-19s side at the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship by coach Mal Donaghy. In 2009, at the age of 22, McKenna retired from playing due to an ongoing hip injury which prevented him from making a senior first-team appearance for Tottenham.
Along with former United player Michael Carrick, McKenna was promoted to the first-team coaching staff and replaced Rui Faria as José Mourinho's assistant manager, ahead of the 2018–19 Premier League season.
Following a poor start to the 2018–19 season, Mourinho left United on 18 December 2018, and was replaced the next day by former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who was appointed as caretaker manager, and retained both McKenna and Carrick in their coaching positions. McKenna was retained in his role by interim manager Ralf Rangnick following Solskjær's departure as United manager in November 2021.
During the 2022–23 season, McKenna was awarded the EFL League One Manager of the Month award for March 2023 as his side maintained their automatic promotion push. On 29 April 2023, Ipswich secured promotion to the EFL Championship after beating Exeter City 6–0 at home. He was later awarded Manager of the Month for April. Ipswich finished the season in second place in League One to gain automatic promotion to the EFL Championship, following a 19-game unbeaten run. At the end of the 2022–23 season, McKenna signed a new four-year contract, extending his stay at Portman Road until 2027.
Ipswich started the 2023–24 season well and a run of four wins and a draw saw McKenna pick up the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for September. He won the award for a second time in March 2024 as Ipswich won four of their five matches to maintain their automatic promotion push. McKenna was named as the EFL Awards for the 2023–24 season as Ipswich finished second in the EFL Championship to win promotion to the Premier League. McKenna's Ipswich side accumulated 194 points and scored 193 goals over two seasons as they became the first club since Southampton in 2012 to secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.
Despite being approached by fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, McKenna signed a new four-year contract with Ipswich until 2028.
The winless run with Ipswich stretched to nine games, after they fell to a home defeat to Everton on 19 October. This was Ipswich's worst start to a season since 2018–19. McKenna picked up his first win in the Premier League in a 2–1 away victory on 10 November against Tottenham Hotspur, bringing Ipswich out of the relegation zone. This was Ipswich'
Ipswich were relegated from the Premier League after winning just four games under McKenna, with Ipswich having picked up their lowest ever points total in the top flight. McKenna'
Ipswich picked up their first win since April, with a 5–0 home win against bottom-placed EFL Championship side
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."
Since his childhood, McKenna has been a supporter of Manchester United, with reports claiming that his love for the club influenced his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for the Red Devils in 2016.
McKenna also played Gaelic football for the minors of the Enniskillen Gaels club. In 2024, McKenna was given a Honorary degree by the University of Suffolk.
Ipswich Town
Individual
Managerial career
Ipswich Town
2021–24: Mid-season start and consecutive promotions
On 16 December 2021, McKenna was appointed as manager of League One side Ipswich Town, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. He officially took charge on 20 December, alongside his assistant Martyn Pert. McKenna's first game in charge of Ipswich saw his side win 1–0 against Wycombe Wanderers at Portman Road. McKenna's first away game in charge was a 4–0 win against Gillingham. McKenna's arrival saw a quick upturn in Ipswich's form, winning seven of his first ten games in charge, keeping seven in the process. Under McKenna, Ipswich went 11 matches unbeaten through February and March, including setting a new club record for not conceding a goal, surpassing the previous record of 547 minutes. Despite the improvement in form, Ipswich failed to reach the League One play-offs, eventually finishing in 11th place in League One. Ipswich ended the 2021–22 season with a 4–0 home win against Charlton Athletic on 30 April.
2024–25: Premier League and immediate relegation
At the start of the 2024–25 season, McKenna lost three games in a row for the first time, after a home defeat to Liverpool, an away defeat to Manchester City, and then losing on penalties to AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup. Ipswich picked up their first point of their Premier League campaign with a 1–1 draw with Fulham.
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2025–26: Return to EFL Championship and rebuild
Ipswich started their 2025–26 season poorly under McKenna, drawing 3 and losing 2 between games in the EFL Championship and a defeat to EFL League Two side Bromley in the EFL Cup. By August 2025, Ipswich had failed to win a game at Portman Road at 3pm in 532 days under McKenna, and had managed just 9 wins since April 2024. McKenna oversaw a large overhaul of his squad, with only 6 players remaining in the squad from the teams that achieved back-to-back promotions, and also having lost key players such as Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson to
/ref>. Former defender Luke Woolfenden claimed that the team selections under McKenna had become "political"
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/ref> Having built on this first win, his side picked up a total seven points from three matches across September 2025, being named Championship Manager of the Month. McKenna would become to first Ipswich manager to win an East Anglian derby game in 15 games when Ipswich defeated
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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 by 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."
Personal life
McKenna is married and has two children.
Managerial statistics
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Ipswich Town 20 December 2021 Present
Honours
Manager
Manchester United U18
External links
Categories: 1986 Births, Living People, Footballers From London, Association Footballers From County Fermanagh, Men's Association Football Midfielders, Ballinamallard United F.c. Players, Tottenham Hotspur F.c. Players, Northern Ireland Men's Youth International Footballers, Northern Ireland Men's Under-21 International Footballers, Association Football Managers From Northern Ireland, Ipswich Town F.c. Managers, English Football League Managers, Association Football Coaches From Northern Ireland, Tottenham Hotspur F.c. Non-playing Staff, Manchester United F.c. Non-playing Staff, Enniskillen Gaels Gaelic Footballers, Gaelic Footballers Who Switched Code, 21st-century Sportsmen From Northern Ireland, Men's Association Footballers From Northern Ireland
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