Kieran McKenna To Step Down As Ipswich Town Manager

Published 10 June 2026 · sports

Kieran McKenna To Step Down As Ipswich Town Manager Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 23:55 IST Kieran McKenna leaves Ipswich Town after Premier

Kieran McKenna To Step Down As Ipswich Town Manager Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 23:55 IST Kieran McKenna leaves Ipswich Town after Premier League return, stepping away from management to focus on family after five intense years in charge. Rapid Read Kieran McKenna will leave Ipswich Town (Picture credit: AFP) Kieran McKenna is to step down as manager of Ipswich Town, just weeks after overseeing the club’s return to the Premier League. A club statement issued on Wednesday said the 40-year-old had “made the decision to step away from football management and dedicate time to his family" following five seasons in charge at Portman Road. The Northern Irishman has been linked with the vacancy at top-flight rivals Fulham, but he insisted he would be taking a complete break from football. “It is with a mixture of gratitude, pride, sadness and contentment that I have decided to step down from the honour of managing this historic football club," McKenna said in Ipswich’s statement.

“When you have the connection that we have built at this club, there is never a good time to say goodbye. “However, having achieved a second promotion to the Premier League last season, with another memorable final day in our stadium, and after reflection over the last couple of weeks, I feel this is the right time for me to step aside. “After giving so much to the role over the previous five seasons, I now look forward to taking a break from management and dedicating some time to my family, who have been with me every step of my career so far." McKenna was under contract with Ipswich until 2028, having signed a new deal two years ago after guiding the club to a second consecutive promotion. He left his role as assistant manager at Manchester United to join Ipswich in December 2021, succeeding Paul Cook.

After leading the club out of third-tier League One in his first full season in charge, McKenna then took the Tractor Boys back to the top flight for the first time in 22 years. Ipswich kept faith with McKenna after they suffered relegation, and their decision was vindicated when the club secured automatic promotion by finishing second in the Championship last season. Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton said McKenna’s achievements meant he was “now rightly discussed in the same breath as the legends of this club". “The mark he, his staff and his players have made on Ipswich Town and its community will live forever," Ashton added. “It has captured a generation. “Like so many, I am of course gutted that our journey together has come to an end, but I understand and respect the decision he has made after five incredibly intense years." (With AFP Inputs) News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: London, United Kingdom (UK) First Published: June 10, 2026, 23:55 IST News sports football Kieran McKenna To Step Down As Ipswich Town Manager Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.