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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
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Press Association & Ricky Charlesworth

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick watch Kieran McKenna's Ipswich in action

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick have kept relatively low profiles since their departures from Manchester United at the end of last year.

The Norwegian, a firm fans favourite as a player with United, was axed as head coach in November after almost three years in charge at Old Trafford.

His assistant Carrick took charge of the three matches that immediately followed Solskjaer's exit, before he himself departed the club. Carrick's exit ended a 15-year association with United.

Now, the pair have been spotted supporting one of their former United colleagues. Kieran McKenna, who worked as a senior coach at United, took up the Ipswich Town managerial post in December and on Tuesday night his two old pals were snapped in attendance for the Tractor Boys' game away at Doncaster.

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Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ex-assistant Michael Carrick, pictured at the game between Doncaster and Ipswich (Matt Wilkinson/Focus Images Ltd)

Ipswich sealed a 1-0 win to make it four wins in five. McKenna's side are now just six points off the League One play-off places.

Solskjaer recently appeared at a United under-18s game to watch his daughter Karna make her debut in the Women's Super League for the Reds.

Upon his departure for the Premier League giants he gave an emotional interview to the club's in-house media, saying: "This club means everything to me and together we’re a good match, but unfortunately I couldn’t get the results we needed and it’s time for me to step aside.”

Ipswich secured the win on Tuesday thanks to a Tyreeq Bakinson first half strike.

Speaking after the victory, McKenna said: "I enjoyed watching us play. I thought we had good control of the game in the first half, took the ball really well, but we had that extra bit of penetration and thrust.

“Our movement off the ball was really good, we found spaces behind the midfield, we ran down the sides, we got crosses in, we had more bodies in the box, more service to the striker.

“Our counter pressure was good. We didn’t allow them to play or build into our half at all.”

Ipswich have kept five clean sheets in their last eight matches, with McKenna understandably pleased with their solidity.

But he puts their defensive resolve down to the ability to keep possession rather than having backs to the wall.

“The clean sheets are going to be important for us,” he said. “It’s definitely not come from lots of defending and letting the other team have the ball.

“Doncaster went to Sunderland on Saturday and put on a really, really good counter-attacking performance so we knew tonight it was going to be important for us to keep and control the ball.”

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