Incoming first-team coach Lee Grant believes he is heading into an exciting role at a club with an incredible footing.

The 39-year-old announced his retirement as a Manchester United player yesterday morning before being named first-team coach at Town in the afternoon.

Grant will start work at Playford Road next month with the players due back to start their preparations for 2022/23 on June 20th.

“I have worked with Kieran and Martyn before at Manchester United, and the work, from a playing perspective, was really enjoyable and beneficial,” Grant told the club website.

“Now I have the opportunity to be part of their team and I am so excited. In terms of my playing career, it has been on my mind for the last couple of years to retire, but I had a good opportunity at United.

“I feel blessed that I have been able to make the decision to retire at the time I want to and on my own terms. I have made that decision and now I am heading straight into an exciting role.

“Anyone that knows me will know that I have been preparing for this step. I have been acquiring my coaching badges and getting them in place, while also doing a business degree and the LMA Management Diploma which I will finish before starting with the club next month.

“Mentally I feel ready for this next step and I am really looking forward to it. As I said, I have worked with Kieran and Martyn before and they are top professionals.

“Martyn has been integral in terms of helping me on my own coaching journey, while Kieran is someone that is incredibly driven and has blown me away in terms of his level of detail and understanding.

“I am also looking forward to working with the other members of the coaching staff and, of course, the players.

“There is so much to be excited about. As a whole, the football club has an incredible footing with a young and driven manager, a hungry set of players and new ownership.

“From a personal perspective, I will be working with senior players and I can't wait to get stuck into the coaching side of things.

"The manager has spoken to me and explained the dynamic of the coaching department and it is a really good group.

“My main aim is to help develop the players and I will be working with them in one-to-one scenarios but also in groups.

“I will be looking to help our forward players and our strikers in particular, but we will have more conversations on how that will work practically.

“It's something I have been working for and I feel well placed because of my background in terms of helping those on the other side of the coin who are looking to put the ball in the back of the net.

“I'll be down in Ipswich and ready to go for day one of pre-season. I can't wait to meet everyone and get started.”

Photo: Action Images

Wacko added 13:41 - May 27 Sounds so much more professional than a certain previous GK coach...
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Dab added 15:14 - May 27 David de Gea reckons the bloke is a "legend" due to his hard work and professionalism. That's good enough for me. Presumably brought in to be a mentor for the younger players on top of everything else. Whats not to like?
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blues1 added 15:33 - May 27 Wacko. He's not gonna be the gk coach.
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Wacko added 15:57 - May 27 Yeah I get that now. Point still stands re ALL the coaches appointed by our previous manager!
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Ebantiass added 16:02 - May 27 Sounds like a good move for all parties, having worked with the gaffa and Martyn before can only be a plus in my book. Another workaholic in the house can only be a good thing. We still need two good strikers in the house and an attacking midfielder.
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Bazza8564 added 17:27 - May 27 Strong CV,personally i'm intrigued about the Academy coach too because that's not been announced yet. We are building a superb team
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Robert_Garrett added 20:12 - May 27 The final piece of the jigsaw?
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SussexTractor added 20:15 - May 27 Another very clever acquisition by ITFC !
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BontyBlue added 22:43 - May 27 You just get the feeling this is the Lego version of the millennium falcon being built piece by piece over more than one Christmas. Welcome to ITFC Grant!
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BontyBlue added 22:44 - May 27 *Lee
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blues1 added 23:34 - May 27 Wacko. Yes, absolutely, he does
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Tractor_Boy_in_HK added 08:32 - May 28 I wouldn't mind him as our backup keeper either!
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Positive_Vibes added 10:38 - May 28 Can't say I know anything about Lee Grant, but I'm hoping he adds something to the coaching staff that we are missing. For me, I think we need to give focus to sorting out our set pieces. This will have an impact on our goal tally. Maybe recruit a set piece specialist in the transfer window?
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Marinersnose added 11:43 - May 28 Excellent news. The word Professional appears to be well used around KMK and his coaching staff. For me the club is moving swiftly in the right direction and dare I say the coaching staff are a massive upgrade on Cook Jeffers and company aka Billy Smarts Circus.
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Monkey_Blue added 12:23 - May 28 Strange that he's going to be working with strikers but then a goalkeeper probably knows what he doesn't want strikers to do. I'm sure unlike with the previous Boss there has actually been some thought out into this appointment rather than just hiring drinking partners.
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