“Massive pressure…” Kieran McKenna details Man United manager role with “ideal” destination outlined

Kieran McKenna is reportedly open to Manchester United as his next destination should INEOS sack Erik ten Hag this summer.

Erik ten Hag‘s future for Manchester United seems to be anyone’s guess right now. While INEOS have so far failed to publically back the manager, there has been little concrete indication that he will be sacked.

United will play Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, and many have speculated that it may be Ten Hag’s last game as manager of the club. Multiple replacement options have been outlined in the media.

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One of those is current Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who used to work at Old Trafford as a coach under Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Ralf Rangnick before pursuing his own managerial ambitions.

The man who has guided Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League has made his preferences clear regarding his next destination, according to the Manchester Evening News.

According to the report, McKenna is open to taking the role at Man United should the club decide to release Ten Hag after the conclusion of the FA Cup final.

It is then further explained that Chelsea have held discussions with McKenna’s representatives, but the boyhood United fan is said to be reluctant to rush into a final decision amid the possibility of managing at Old Trafford. United is believed to be his ideal destination.

Speaking earlier this season, McKenna explained how being at United was a “massive pressure”, showing that he is fully aware of what it would take to be boss at the club.

“Being at Man United, there was massive pressure. Every loss is a disaster, and the expectation is really high, the scrutiny is really high,” he said.

“It does develop your resilience, your ability to block out noise, your ability to focus on the things that are important and to control what you can control and not worry about the things outside of that. As a manager at any club, that is important. It has helped me a lot.”

McKenna also explained how joining the club as an U18s coach during Jose Mourinho’s time there, he found the pressures of the job “pretty comfortable”.

“I found it pretty comfortable, to be honest,” McKenna added. “Coming in under a legendary manager like Jose was a great experience and a healthy pressure because you want to do well.

“You want to earn the respect of the manager and the players and make sure the sessions you are taking are ‘on point’. I felt like I was able to do that with every manager I worked under there.

“Probably one of the biggest things is realising players are not that different whatever level you go to.”