Celtic’s search to replace Brendan Rodgers is underway.
Scottish football has been rocked by the news that Rodgers has resigned from his post after tensions behind the scenes reached a breaking point.
His immediate replacements will be Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, the club immediately confirmed. It’s a sensational return for O’Neill over 20 years after his iconic Celtic spell.
As if that wasn’t enough, Dermot Desmond launched a brutal attack on Rodgers in an incredible statement released less than an hour after the initial announcement.
It’s an incredible situation which is moving very quickly. Now, a fresh name has entered the frame to replace Rodgers permanently.
Kieran McKenna enters Celtic frame
Ange Postecoglou was seen as the initial favourite for the role, but the Hoops will need to keep their options open.
Should Maloney and O’Neill deliver results in the short term, who knows – they could be given until at least the end of this season.
READ MORE: Incredible details of Brendan Rodgers’ final day at Celtic revealed by Keith Jackson
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna is reportedly under ‘serious consideration’ for the permanent Celtic gig.
According to the Scottish Sun, McKenna has entered the frame as an early contender for the role which was vacated by his countryman.
Under contract with the Tractor Boys until 2028, he wouldn’t come easily. Ipswich will reportedly fight to keep him.
But as a young coach who has played a possession-based style of football to great success in Britain, the 39-year-old certainly appears to be a strong candidate on the face of it.
He was linked with the role before Rodgers took it in 2023. At the time, he had just taken Ipswich from League One to the Championship.
He would go on to guide the side to a stunning back-to-back promotion to the Premier League, where they fell straight back down last season.
Who is Kieran McKenna?
Born in London and raised in Fermanagh, McKenna made an early transition into coaching after his development as a youth player was halted by a serious injury.
He divided time between University studies and youth coaching, where he spent time in Vancouver and the West Midlands before returning to Tottenham, where he had played in the academy.
After being named Under-18s manager of Manchester United, he was promoted to first-team duties where he worked as assistant to Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.
He replaced ex-Celtic captain Paul Lambert at Ipswich in 2021, and no-one could’ve seen their level of success coming.
Not only did they go straight from League One to the Premier League, but they recorded one of the best points totals by a second-placed team in Championship history in doing so.
He has been linked with various clubs since then, but has remained loyal to Ipswich where he is now trying to secure a return to the top-flight.
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