Kieran McKenna is currently one of English football’s hottest names after leading Ipswich Town back into the Championship whilst maintaining a 100% record so far, find out more about him along with his salary and net worth
Interestingly, while McKenna is the youngest manager in the top four divisions he already has some amount of experience in terms of coaching years.
Who is Kieran McKenna Ipswich Town manager, salary, net worth, family, wife, tactics, style of play and stats
Ipswich Town comeback from 2-0 down to knock Premier League side Wolves out of the #CarabaoCup 🤯😱
Kieran McKenna's newly-promoted Championship side have only lost 1 game in their last 27 competitive matches 🔵🔥
Could we see The Tractor Boys in the #PL next season? 👀📈 pic.twitter.com/yYIW3YuOsQ
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) September 26, 2023
Ipswich Town have 1️⃣ loss in their last 2️⃣7️⃣ matches
From League One to second in the Championship and knocking out Premier League outfit Wolves from the Carabao Cup 📈
Is super Kieran McKenna the manager to watch right now?! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/SXTr9ZsbTr
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 27, 2023
Under McKenna, Ipswich have won their first three games back in the Championship and are looking as strong as ever.
Kieran McKenna bio
Kierna McKenna is a Northern Irish professional football manager who was born on 14 May 1986 in London, United Kingdom. He is also a former player, and currently works as the manager of EFL Championship side Ipswich Town.
Age and height
Kieran is currently 37 years and stands at a height of 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in).
McKenna lives in Ipswich with his wife and two young children.
Kieran McKenna career
McKenna began his footballing career as a youth team player for Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United. He then spent a brief time in his early 20s as a rotating player in the Tottenham first team. However he shifted to coaching and after briefly studying in Loughborough University, he joined Spurs again, this time to kickstart his coaching career.
Manchester United eventually picked him up to coach their youth system when Jose Mourinho was at the helm. Unsurprisingly, Kieran impressed the Portuguese and earned a place on the first team backroom staff after Rui Faria’s departure.
As such, many Ipswich fans link McKenna’s path to senior football with Mourinho who in turn acknowledges Sir Bobby Robson for giving him the opportunity to transition from an interpreter to a coach. As such, when McKenna recently secured a 1-0 away win last Saturday against Queens Park Rangers, his team managed to secure an unbeaten run of 22 league games. This surpassed the previous record set by Robson, adding another sense of recognition for the achievement.
Kieran McKenna with Ipswich Town
Last season, in League 1 Kieran led the club to 98 points, a new club record, and scored 101 goals. While this alone is impressive, their defensive record was the main thing that stood out as they conceded only a meagre 35 goals. Moreover, at one point, they conceded only two goals in 15 games while maintaining nine straight clean sheets.
Kieran McKenna coaching style
According to former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer:
he is the “most thorough and analytical, step-by-step, process-driven coach that I’ve worked with”
He further added:
I learned from him about defensive shape and how not to concede.”
Aside from his knack for defensive play, Kieran also has some sources of inspiration from German football. The 37-year-old has used some elements of Hansi Flick’s pressing style at Ipswich. McKenna has proved that teams in the lower leagues can also implement styles of play previously perceived to be for higher levels.
McKenna shared last season:
Of course there’s a difference between working with players at Manchester United to working at this level. But it’s a misconception in my opinion that you can’t implement a certain style at this level or that you can’t do certain things.”
McKenna’s key style of coaching is promoting the team as a collective unit, as proven by his work at Ipswich. In the entire squad, veteran forward Sone Aluko is the only player to have played in the Premier League. Moreover, their top scorer from last season, Conor Chaplin, who scored 26 goals, is a vital player but does not necessarily standout.
Net worth and career
Kieran McKenna has an estimated net worth of around $1.5 million and has a contract that runs up to 2027 after signing a four year deal but his salary isn’t known.