The reality of life after Ange Postecoglou is quickly setting in for Celtic fans and the board are ramping up their search for a new boss.
It wasn't the news any Parkhead punter wanted but the wheels are definitely in motion now to find Postecoglou's replacement after the Australian's quick-fire departure from the Scottish Premiership champions in the wake of their Treble-winning success. While Enzo Maresca has been considered an early frontrunner, talks appear on hold with the coach until after Manchester City's Champions League Final showdown with Inter Milan on Saturday – and that has given the Celtic powerbrokers time to weigh up their options.
That could open the door for Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna who is fresh off leading the club back to the English Championship. The 37-year-old is a rising star of English management and has won over the Portman Road crowd with his attacking football that paved the way to the England’s second tier.
Record Sport understands McKenna is an option being weighed up as a potential successor to Postecoglou. But who is the boss and what are his credentials? We take a look.
Who is Kieran McKenna?
Forced into retirement due to injury at 22 while on the books at Tottenham, McKenna had already made the decision to step into coaching and spent the next 13 years in the youth setups at the north London club and Manchester United. After rising up the ranks at the Old Trafford academy, Jose Mourinho would promote McKenna to assistant manager in 2018 where he would go on to work under the likes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Ragnick before being offered the chance to manage Ipswich Town. After taking over at Portman Road midway through last season the youngest manager in the professional English game has led the club to promotion and back to the Championship this term.
So, it's not a common road into management?
We may be well used to former players stepping into management - but McKenna reckons he is part of a new generation of coaches who are stepping into the dugout without playing at the top level. He cites former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers as a boss among the examples he wants to follow.
He said in April to Sky Sports: "I think the coaches that have come before us, Brendan Rodgers, Mourinho, people of that ilk who went into management through different pathways, have laid the groundwork and shown what can be achieved by coaches from different backgrounds.
"The game has moved on and everyone understands now that there's different ways to gain experience as a coach or as a manager. I don't think one way or another is an advantage."
What is his football philosophy?
After the end of the Angeball era Celtic fans are keen to see their team play with an attacking flare. Should McKenna get the hot seat they won't be left disappointed. McKenna is known for his all-out attacking philosophy with his Ipswich side playing from the back and flooding the wide areas.
The boss admits he had his doubters over his style but stuck to his principles: "I had a lot of discussions with people in football along the lines of: ‘That’s going to be very difficult,’ or: ‘I’m not sure if it’ll be possible,’ I also had them with one or two of the players who were here last season, saying they thought it would be difficult getting out of League One playing a brave brand of football where you open the pitch up, play with the ball on the floor, try to make sure it stays in play, build from the back and look to open space up.
“There was certainly a narrative that it was not the recipe to get out of the division. It took a lot of conviction in our beliefs, conviction from the club to back us, conviction from the players to buy into it. For me, that makes the achievement all the more satisfying because it’s not been easy.”
What has he said on working with Jose Mourinho?
It was his first big break into first-team football - and he admits he learned a lot in his six-month spell working alongside 'The Special One' before the Portuguese boss was axed. Reflecting on his time working with the legendary boss: "It was really good. I've said before it was a privilege for me to come onto his coaching staff, he's such an iconic figure for coaches of my generation.
"It was a relatively short period, but even then it was great to work and learn from him. There was a lot I took from him, and you can see why he's been so successful in his career."
What has he said on his future?
Well, he hasn't closed the door to the next big job. But his focus appears to be on the Portman Road rise as it stands - but that would likely all change with the offer of Champions League football. He said at the end of the campaign: "I've worked very hard from a young age and progressed through two fantastic academies.
"I've coached at Champions League level at 31, and I've picked up some great experience working with some world-class players right at the top level. Now I'm developing as a manager at a really big, fantastic football club that it is a privilege to represent.
"It is an honour to put my team out in front of nearly 30,000 at Portman Road and play the type of football we are. We want to try and bring the club back to where it wants to be. But in this job you can't plan too far around the corner, so I'm not going to look too far ahead."
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