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Who is Kieran McKenna? Manchester United coach taking training with Michael Carrick

McKenna was promoted to Jose Mourinho's first-team coaching staff earlier this season

Manchester United first team coach Kieran McKenna in discussion with manager Jose Mourinho during a training session at the club's Aon Training Complex

Kieran McKenna is not a name familiar to many football fans but he has been thrust into the limelight following Jose Mourinho's sacking by Manchester United.

United have confirmed that McKenna will take charge of training with fellow first-team coach Michael Carrick while they search for a caretaker manager.

Here, we profile the little-known coach who is now overseeing Paul Pogba, David de Gea and the rest of United's first-team stars.

Playing career cut short at Spurs

McKenna, 32, hails from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland but moved over to London as a teenager to join Tottenham's academy.

He was given a full-time contract by Spurs at the age of 16 in 2002, but despite representing the senior side in friendlies and featuring for Northern Ireland's U21s, the midfielder was forced to call time on his playing career at the age of 23 due to a persistent hip injury.

McKenna soon turned his attentions to coaching, taking his badges at Tottenham and beginning to work his way through the academy ranks. In 2015, he was put in charge of their U18s.

Kieran McKenna coached Tottenham's U18s
Image: McKenna coached Tottenham's U18s

McKenna impressed in that role, guiding Tottenham's U18s to the semi-finals of the 2014/15 FA Youth Cup. His Spurs side beat Manchester United 3-1 in the fifth round but suffered a 5-4 aggregate defeat to eventual winners Chelsea over two legs in the semis.

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Manchester United beckons

McKenna worked with young players such as Kyle Walker-Peters, Josh Onomah and Marcus Edwards in Tottenham's academy, improving his reputation to such an extent that, in 2016, Manchester United recruited him as their U18s coach to succeed the departed Paul McGuinness.

"I learned a lot and Tottenham have had a lot of success with the academy and I'm sure they will continue to do so now," he said at the time.

"To go to Manchester United, there is no bigger move you can make, it's another fantastic academy and it's a dream come true really.

 at Aon Training Complex on May 2, 2018 in Manchester, England.
Image: McKenna has been coaching at United since 2016

"I was a massive United fan, my dad brought me over to my first game in the 1994 season to see them lift the Premier League trophy."

McKenna's reputation continued to grow in his new role. The 32-year-old introduced an exciting, high-scoring brand of football to United's U18s, winning the Premier League Northern Title last season with a team which featured young talents such as Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong.

Since then, several of his former Manchester United players have praised his meticulous preparation and attentive coaching style.

"He changed everything," former United teenager Indy Boonen told the Manchester Evening News. "The way we trained was how the opponent played on the Saturday. If you played against West Brom, you trained how they are and focused on their weaknesses."

Ismail Azzaoui, another of his former players, added: "He knew when I was not feeling well, always coming to me and asking, 'What was the problem? How can I help?'"

First-team promotion

Jose Mourinho could have sought a high-profile, external appointment when his trusted assistant Rui Faria left Manchester United at the end of last season but instead he chose to promote McKenna.

Kieran McKenna with Jose Mourinho and Michael Carrick
Image: McKenna with Jose Mourinho and Michael Carrick

McKenna has been working closely with the first team ever since, helping to oversee training on a daily basis and sitting alongside Mourinho in the dugout on matchdays.

He is said to be a popular figure at the club and he now has a chance to take on even more responsibility. He will hope to impress the new manager just as much as he impressed Mourinho.

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