New Town manager Kieran McKenna believes now is the right time for him to make the step up to managing a club and feels he and the Blues are a “really good match”.
McKenna spoke to the media for the first time over Zoom this afternoon having been appointed on Thursday evening and after watching his new players in action for the first time as they drew 1-1 with Sunderland on Saturday.
Asked why he swapped a coaching role at Manchester United for the job at Town, he said: "It was a decision to be made. I have a big affinity for Man United and I think it’s published that I was a fan of the club as a boy.
"It was a fantastic club to work at, I had really good relationships with staff, players and owners and all the managers I worked under.
"So it’s a club with a deep affinity for me and I was happy there and could see a future there, but I think at the time it’s an ambition I’ve had right from the start of my coaching career, to go into management.
"I’ve worked really, really hard to get this opportunity, I’ve developed myself as a coach very well over the last 12 to 13 years. I’ve put a lot into being the best coach I could be, but the ambition all along was to make this step and to eventually take the chance to lead a team in its own right, to lead a football club, and I knew that day would come.
"When the initial contact came from Ipswich Town, I knew the background of the club, I knew it was obviously a club with fantastic traditions and history, I also knew the current situation with the ownership and the investment that has been put into the club, and they are looking to make going forward.
"I had some good conversations with Mark about the direction and how the club want to take it forward, and we felt like we had a really similar view on how that would best be done.
"I think it was a really good match, it hopefully is a really good match, it was the right time for me to make the step, it was the right type of profile of club that I was looking for in Ipswich Town and I’m grateful for them giving me this opportunity and I’m confident that I’ll be able to repay that faith in the future.”
The 35-year-old says he hadn’t put his hat in the ring for any other jobs prior to his appointment at Town: "I haven’t applied for anything over the last few years. I think when you’re working at a club the size and the scale of Manchester United and the importance of that, I was so focused on the day to day there.
"I put my heart and soul into the club, trying to make it better every single day, so I don’t think it would be right with the responsibility I had thee to be applying for jobs or even looking too far forward into the future.
"I always trusted and knew that it was a case of if I did my work and developed myself as a coach as well as what I could, if I developed my skillset, then I knew that my reputation within the club and within football would eventually lead to the right club coming to approach me, and thankfully that was the case with Ipswich.
"It was done in a very respectful way by the club and by [CEO] Mark [Ashton] and United, and again, I’m grateful to them for how they handled the situation and were able to move it forward in the right way. So, this is the right offer at the right time.”
Former Blues boss Jim Magilton extolled McKenna’s virtues having worked with him with Northern Ireland’s U21s but the two are yet to speak following the the one-time Tottenham youngster’s appointment at Town.
"No, I haven’t managed to catch up with Jim yet, actually,” McKenna said. "He’s very much on my call list. This opportunity came about really quickly in the middle of last week and obviously, it’s been a really intense period with Man United as well.
"At the time, we were preparing for the Brentford game, so the opportunity came around really quickly and I’ve been overwhelmed by the messages of support and well wishes from everyone at Man United and externally across football.
"I know Jim’s history with the club, I was fortunate enough to work with him for a very short period with Northern Ireland’s U21s but have known him through different avenues over the years as well.
"A really good man, was good to work for and I enjoyed his company, and I know obviously his history with this club and the success that he had, and I definitely will be making contact with him and looking to tap into his experiences here and also get his opinion and his expertise on how he sees the club going forward. So, I haven’t had a chance to yet, but he is very high on the call list.”