Ipswich Town urged to target ex-Middlesbrough & Man United duo if Kieran McKenna leaves for Celtic | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna has been linked with yet another exit away from the Tractor Boys

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Once again, Ipswich Town supporters are bracing themselves for a potential change in the dugout as departure links involving Kieran McKenna have come to the fore.

The transformation which the 39-year-old has overseen at Portman Road ever since taking charge in December 2021 has been well-documented, having previously honed his craft as an assistant at Manchester United.

McKenna became the first man in charge of the Tractor Boys to oversee a Premier League season since the year of 2002, having achieved the remarkable feat of back-to-back promotions from League One, straight through the Championship and into the top flight between the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns, with the first of those also being his first full season in Suffolk and in full-time management as a whole.

Despite the club's relegation and inconsistent return to the EFL, the Northern Irishman's stock very much remains high, having been linked with several top vacancies throughout English and British football as a whole.

The likes of Brighton and Hove Albion and Chelsea failed to land his signature in the summer of 2024, and he was most recently linked with the Rangers job, before the Light Blues eventually replaced Russell Martin with Danny Rohl.

However, just two weeks later, McKenna is now a candidate to replace Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, with the 52-year-old resigning after a 3-1 defeat at Hearts on Sunday afternoon, with Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney taking interim charge of the Bhoys.

The Town boss has been linked alongside Ange Postecoglou and Craig Bellamy, whilst it has also been claimed the SPFL side may have to part with over £5m in compensation to lure him away from Suffolk.

With that being said, Football League World's Ipswich Town fan pundit, Adam Wilkin, has reeled off some names he would like to see replace McKenna, should he end up leaving the club this time around.

Ipswich Town urged to consider Manchester United "continuity" factor amid Kieran McKenna, Celtic links

During a three-year stint in the senior coaching setup at Manchester United, McKenna worked alongside José Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick in a tumultuous period for the Red Devils after being promoted to said capacity alongside Michael Carrick.

Both McKenna and Carrick have earned strong reputations in the EFL over recent years, albeit the latter's time at Middlesbrough ended on a sour note in May as the North East side failed to reach the play-offs for a second successive season despite being well-backed by Steve Gibson.

Like his former Old Trafford colleague, Solskjaer has been out of work in recent weeks, having been sacked by Besiktas in August after losing to Swiss outfit, Lausanne, in the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round.

However, the Norwegian has been spotted at Portman Road this season for encounters against Sheffield United and Norwich City, with Town investing a second-tier record fee in the services of his compatriot and teenage sensation, Sindre Walle Egeli in the latter stages of the summer window.

As such, Wilkin believes that both names could be ideal in filling a potential void in the coming days and weeks.

"I'm not sure who I'd go for now," he told FLW. "The top choice would've been Danny Rohl, who's ironically just gone to Rangers.

"In terms of keeping continuity, you'd think Michael Carrick would be looked at, given he's out of a job and he's got a similar style.

"I really like Liam Rosenior after what he did at Hull. But, he's now got Strasbourg up high in Ligue 1," Wilkin added.

"I'm not sure who else is out there," he claimed. "Whether you'd look into foreign networks. With Sindre Walle Egeli joining from Norway, I don't know if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be possible. Probably not.

"Brendan Rodgers and Ange Postecoglou are probably not realistic, so I don't know.

"It's a tough one. If I had to pick now without really thinking about it, I'd probably say Carrick for the continuity of the playing style."

Ipswich Town would have to nail Kieran McKenna replacement if he departed for Celtic FC

Both Carrick and Solskjaer have experience in Championship management. However, the Norwegian's also ended in disaster over a decade ago with Cardiff City following the Bluebirds' relegation from the Premier League in 2014.

As Wilkin alluded to, it is hard to pinpoint an immediate standout replacement, and one which certainly feels realistic at this moment in time.

CEO Mark Ashton must nail whoever that may be, if McKenna is to join Celtic, due to the expectations now placed on Ipswich in comparison to previous seasons at this level.

The Championship remains wide-open, meaning it isn't impossible for the Tractor Boys to surge up the table with a consistent run of form, which has bypassed them in the opening 11 games.