Tottenham coach Kieran McKenna has reportedly left the club for Manchester United.
Kieran McKenna
According to ESPN, Manchester United have managed to secure the services of Tottenham Hotspur’s Under-18’s coach Kieran McKenna.
The Red Devils saw Paul McGuinness leave the club earlier this year, and he had worked as the club’s Under-18 manager since 2005, representing a huge exit for the club.
Manchester United’s Old Trafford
Long gone are the days of the Class of 92, where the likes of Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and David Beckham came up through the ranks, but United have seen the likes of Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Timothy Fosu-Mensah become first-team players having graduated through the United academy.
Questions may remain over manager Jose Mourinho’s policy with young players, but United are taking steps to build for the future, and appear to have landed a replacement for McGuinness.
Former Tottenham coach Kieran McKenna
ESPN report that Tottenham’s highly-regarded Under-18 coach Kieran McKenna has left White Hart Lane in order to take over from McGuinness at United, becoming the Red Devils’ Under-23 coach.
McKenna had to quit playing back in 2009 due to a hip injury, and has played his part in Tottenham’s conveyor belt of young talent, from Harry Kane to Joshua Onomah and from Cameron Carter-Vickers to the highly-rated Marcus Edwards.
Tottenham’s Marcus Edwards – one of the players coached by McKenna
The report adds that Tottenham are ‘relaxed’ about McKenna’s departure, and have given their blessing for his move to Old Trafford, with the 30-year-old – a former Spurs player – starting work at Carrington last Thursday.
United are claimed to be huge fans of Tottenham’s work with young players, and having failed to lure their Academy Manager and Head of Coaching John McDermott, they have now snapped up McKenna – who Spurs are now expected to replace in the near future as their commitment to developing young talent continues.
Do you think McKenna will go a good job at Manchester United?
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