I could have replaced Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Ruben Amorim will be dreaming of making a winning start to life as Manchester United head coach when his side takes on Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Sunday afternoon. Standing in his way, however, will be a Tractor Boys side that will be buoyant after picking up their first Premier League win of the season prior to the international break. The Suffolk-based outfit downed Tottenham Hotspur in the capital last time out, winning 2-1.

It marked their first victory in the top flight for 22 years, meaning they will have every intention of building on it when they welcome United to Portman Road for the first time in more than 8,200 days. READ MORE: I left United too early and regretted it - now I run a shop for a living READ MORE: I went on strike to join United - now I need Ruben Amorim to try and save my career Ipswich, as recently as May 2023, were celebrating promotion from League One. They had spent four years in England's third tier and the thought of playing United in a league fixture 18 months later was nothing more than a pipe dream.

In Kieran McKenna , however, Ipswich have one of the most coveted young coaches in English football. Appointed in December 2021, nobody could have possibly envisioned the journey he would take the 1981 UEFA Cup winners on in such a short space of time. In his first full season in charge he led their escape from League One, finishing second in a three-horse race for automatic promotion between themselves, Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield Wednesday, before leading them to another promotion 12 months later, finishing as runners-up in the Championship.

Competing against much bigger budgets and squads of a higher quality, McKenna, who was convinced to leave his role as a first-team coach at Old Trafford for the manager's position at Portman Road almost three years ago, was the architect of Ipswich's fairytale season last term. Becoming the first manager to take a club directly from League One to the Premier League in just two seasons since Nigel Adkins at Southampton in 2012, McKenna's stock grew and grew. He is Ipswich's biggest asset and the thought of losing him ahead of their first Premier League campaign in more than two decades was every Tractor Boys supporter's biggest fear.

The Suffolk celebrations had barely died down when clubs started knocking, though. United were one of them. Kieran McKenna guided Ipswich Town to promotion last season.

(Image: Stephen Pond/Getty Images.) As Ineos, ahead of the conclusion of the 2023/24 season, weighed up the prospect of dismissing Erik ten Hag, they started to draw up a list of names of potential candidates to succeed him at Old Trafford . McKenna was on that list.

Promoted to the first-team by Jose Mourinho during his time at Old Trafford, McKenna had admirers within the Ineos boardroom. He also had admirers at Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea , who considered him as a potential option to fill positions that had become vacant ahead of this season. McKenna, however, turned down advances from elsewhere in favour of staying at Ipswich.

It resulted in him signing a new long-term contract. "I'm aware of it," said McKenna, addressing the speculation that unfolded. "It's part and parcel of success, there's been interest from other clubs and it's a short career as a manager.

It's right to consider things but I'm so, so happy with the decision I've made. "I am extremely proud to have signed a new contract with the club. We have enjoyed incredible success together over the last two seasons and I'm excited to have the opportunity and responsibility of leading this fantastic club into its first season in the Premier League in 22 years.

" Despite only overseeing one win so far this season, McKenna, regardless of how the rest of the campaign unfolds, has already etched his name in Ipswich folklore. He will always be remembered as the man that ended 22 years of hurt at Portman Road. Kieran McKenna has done an outstanding job at Portman Road.

(Image: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images.) It is why, having secured back-to-back promotions, he owed it to the Ipswich fans to stay put in the summer. He was the architect of their fairytale rise and had he have walked out on them at the first opportunity, say for United or another member of the Premier League's elite, his reputation was at risk of being damaged.

Instead, he made the decision to stay and will now be looking to guide Ipswich to their first top flight home win since April 2002 and a first win over United since 1997. Standing in his way, however, is Amorim, who will be dreaming of securing all three points for a very different reason this weekend. He was chosen as United's top target to replace Ten Hag three weeks ago, just months after United ran the rule over McKenna, and he will want to make his mark.

McKenna would have represented a very brave choice for United; he had never managed in the top flight prior to the start of this season and the fact he had previously worked at Old Trafford would have added to the pressure. Nevertheless, he will be dreaming of raining on Amorim's parade on Sunday afternoon. Amorim's task is to avoid unwanted headlines being printed in Monday's newspapers.

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