Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Ex-Man United boss a leading candidate for Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly features highly on Ipswich Town’s list of potential replacements for Kieran McKenna.

McKenna exit

McKenna, who worked under Solskjaer at United, announced his Ipswich exit earlier this month, just weeks after guiding the side back to the Premier League.

The former United coach was under contract with the Tractor Boys until 2028, having put pen to paper on a new deal in the summer of 2024.

He was strongly linked to the Fulham job but he will not join any other club, preferring to take time away from football and spend it with his family. Ipswich are protected financially should he decide to take up a new role in the next 12 months. They would be due compensation in line with the remaining time left in his contract up until the one-year mark.

Strasbourg’s Gary O’Neil has been widely viewed as McKenna’s most likely successor. But according to the BBC, Solskjaer is also highly rated at Portman Road.

Premier League return

The BBC report, “Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary O’Neil are among the leading candidates to become manager at Ipswich.”

“Former Manchester United boss Solskjaer is high on the Tractor Boys’ list to succeed Kieran McKenna at Portman Road.”

Solskjaer has been out of work since last summer, when he was dismissed by Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas. United initially appointed the Norwegian as caretaker manager in December 2018 after parting ways with Jose Mourinho.

He enjoyed a fairytale start to life at Old Trafford, where he had achieved legendary status as a player, as he won his first eight games in charge. United gave him the job on a permanent basis in March 2019.

Solskjaer’s United achieved consecutive podium finishes in the Premier League (third, then second) by implementing a progressive, attack-minded system. The Norwegian encouraged aggressive pressing and fluid forward play, a stylistic throwback to the club’s most successful era under Sir Alex Ferguson.

However, the 2021/22 campaign unravelled quickly, leading to his sacking. Solskjaer’s final game was a 4-1 loss to Watford. United were seventh at the time.

At the start of the year, Solskjaer was mooted as a candidate for a dramatic return, going head-to-head with Michael Carrick for the vacancy left by Ruben Amorim. However, the board opted for Carrick, and the former midfielder has now been handed the job permanently.

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