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Ipswich manager McKenna quits after promotion to Premier League

BBC Sport Football •
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Ipswich Town confirmed that manager Kieran McKenna has resigned, just weeks before the club embarks on its Premier League season. The 40‑year‑old guided the Tractor Boys from League One to the top flight in three promotions, most recently sealing a runners‑up finish in the Championship in May. His departure comes as the team prepares for its first top‑flight campaign since 2002.

McKenna left a first‑team coaching role at Manchester United in December 2021, taking over a struggling Ipswich side. In his debut full season he delivered promotion to the Championship, followed by back‑to‑back titles that returned the club after a 22‑year exile. He captured the League Managers Association manager‑of‑the‑year award in 2024, edging out Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

Citing a need for family time, McKenna said the timing felt right and expressed pride in the progress made. The club now faces the task of finding a successor capable of sustaining momentum in a league where survival rates for newly promoted teams hover around 30 percent. Ipswich will begin its Premier League campaign with a clear managerial vacancy to fill.