Ipswich Town are considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary O’Neil among the leading candidates to replace Kieran McKenna as manager, with the club beginning a search for a new head coach after McKenna stepped down last week.
Solskjaer, the former Manchester United manager, is understood to be high on Ipswich’s shortlist. He has been out of work since leaving Besiktas last summer, having taken a break from management after his exit from Manchester United in 2021. Solskjaer was previously linked with a return to Old Trafford, but the club opted against rehiring a former manager and instead moved for Michael Carrick. McKenna had worked under Solskjaer at Manchester United, alongside assistant Martyn Pert, during a period when the Norwegian helped United finish second in the Premier League in the 2020-21 season.
O’Neil is also strongly in contention. BBC Sport reported earlier this month that Ipswich were interested in the former Wolves head coach, who is now in charge of Strasbourg. He has long been admired by the club’s hierarchy, and there is a further connection through Ipswich chief executive Mark Ashton, who previously worked with O’Neil when he played for Bristol City and Ashton was the club’s CEO. Strasbourg had been confident of keeping O’Neil after he joined the French club in January, but he remains a candidate for the Portman Road role.
McKenna’s departure comes after a highly successful spell in charge. Appointed in 2021, the 40-year-old led Ipswich through three promotions in four seasons, including two that took the team into the Premier League. Last season, he guided the Tractor Boys to a second-place finish in the Championship and secured a return to the top flight.
McKenna had also been linked with the Fulham job after Marco Silva’s departure, but he chose to step away from management to take a break from football and spend more time with his family. In announcing his exit, he said it was the right moment to move on, expressing pride in the club’s progress and optimism about its future.
Ipswich now face an important decision as they look to appoint a successor capable of building on McKenna’s work and steering the club through its return to Premier League football.
