According to The Sun, FA Technical Director John McDermott worked with Kieran McKenna at Tottenham Hotspur and holds the young manager in high regard. As a result, he has added McKenna to the list of candidates for the new England national team coach.
The FA has already initiated the process to find a new coach following Gareth Southgate’s resignation. The top three candidates currently are Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe, former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, and current England U21 manager Lee Carsley.
However, due to the background of FA Technical Director John McDermott, Ipswich Town’s young manager Kieran McKenna has emerged as a significant contender.
McDermott previously served as a coach and head of the coaching and development department at Tottenham Hotspur, where he greatly admired McKenna’s work with the club’s youth teams.
After leaving Tottenham to join Manchester United, McKenna progressed to become an assistant coach for the first team before achieving back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town, leading them back into the Premier League.
It is understood that although the current favorites for the England job are all homegrown coaches, the FA has not insisted that the next coach must be British.