Jim White has addressed a theory that Kieran McKenna could succeed Martin O’Neill at Celtic.
McKenna suddenly announced his departure from Ipswich Town this week, citing a desire to take a break from management and spend more time with his family.
The 40-year-old had been linked with the vacancy at Celtic last year, and also rejected approaches from Chelsea and Brighton during his time at Portman Road.
Celtic have already been managed by men from Counties Derry, Armagh and Antrim in this century… could McKenna’s native Fermanagh be up next?
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Responding to Paul Hawskbee’s suggestion that McKenna could come in after O’Neill’s time is up, White — a friend of O’Neill’s — said on talkSPORT: “Really? That is a very interesting thought.
“What surprised me, Paul, was the amount of time it took for Celtic to confirm that Martin had the job for another year, having been in there as interim once, and then interim twice.
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“But of course, what a job he did. That is undeniable.
“He turned the Celtic ship around, and they ended up, of course, winning the Scottish Premiership, as well as the Scottish Cup, overcoming Dunfermline at Hampden in Glasgow.
“So yeah, well done Martin. I’m absolutely delighted for him. I think Simon [Jordan] had said, ‘you’re as young as you feel. If you feel you can do it at 74, crack on and do it’.
“The Kieran McKenna theory is an interesting one. I think we’ll watch that closely, we’ll talk about that today and all sorts of events that are going on back home.”
67 Hail Hail reported that McKenna was a serious contender for the role prior to the appointment of Wilfried Nancy.
He even joked about “Scottish representatives” turning up to his press conferences amid the speculation.
For now, it’s all eyes on O’Neill’s backroom staff, with the Hoops currently in a negotiation deadlock with assistants Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham.
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Kieran McKenna’s spell at Ipswich
McKenna worked his way up from youth coaching to senior roles in the academy at Tottenham and Manchester United, before being handed the Ipswich job.
Taking over from Paul Lambert in League One, he guided the Tractor Boys to promotion to the Championship, before completing sensational back-to-back promotions to take them to the Premier League.
Arriving in the top-flight ahead of schedule, it was a difficult season in the Premier League and they were relegated.
In his final season with the Tractor Boys, he returned them to the promised land.
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