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After eight years, Gareth Southgate will no longer be England manager.
Taking over in 2016 when Sam Allardyce resigned from the role, Southgate saw plenty of highs and lows in his time.
He led England to two Euros finals, including this year in UEFA Euro 2024.
And he took the nation to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2018.
Despite those impressive accomplishments, Southgate also received his fair share of criticism.
The former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender was seen as more of a defensive coach and that attracted many vocal opponents who wanted to see a more attacking side.
With a new manager set to land in the role, many are speculating who it may be and if they’ll take a more attacking approach.
The likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Eddie Howe have all been linked with the role.
All of these managers share a similar profile in that they’re known for their attacking play.
With Southgate stepping aside, it could be an ideal time for a new approach.
And one of the names being linked to the role is a former Manchester United coach who has also won plenty of plaudits for his style of play.
Mckenna in line to replace Southgate
Kieran McKenna joined Manchester United from Tottenham Hotspur in 2016.
Then United manager Jose Mourinho saw the potential in the young coach and gave him a more prominent role at the club.
McKenna was promoted to assistant manager in 2018 and kept that role when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came to the club.
When Solskjaer was sacked, McKenna decided to also leave at the end of that season.
Since then, McKenna has worked wonders at Ipswich Town.
Taking over the club when they were in League One, two successive promotions in his two years in charge mean the Tractor Boys will be playing English Premier League football this season for the first time in 22 years.
The unprecedented success and style of play that McKenna has instilled at Portman Road has had him linked to a number of roles.
He’s even been linked with a return to Old Trafford as the next manager after Erik ten Hag.
And now it seems that Kieran McKenna is being linked with another huge role in English football.
The Sun report that Kieran McKenna is a candidate to replace Gareth Southgate as the next England manager.
According to the tabloid newspaper, FA technical director John McDermott is a huge fan of McKenna’s having worked with him at Spurs.
McKenna was born in London, but represented Northern Ireland at a youth team level.
It’s not believed that the next England manager has to necessarily be of English heritage.
Kieran McKenna is believed to be happy at Ipswich for now. And it’s likely that his current side would be loathe to lose such a highly rated manager.
So the link seems tenuous at this stage.
However, stranger things have happened in football.
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