04 November 2023 , 06:00
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Manchester United fan Kieran McKenna spent years admiring “phenomenon” Wayne Rooney’s finishing prowess but it is the Ipswich boss who appears a managerial marvel as he plots the Tractor Boys’ consecutive promotion push.
While Rooney is already facing heat from Blues fans after beginning his reign with three defeats, it feels that McKenna can do no wrong at Portman Road.
And the paths to their respective jobs could scarcely be different. When Rooney was making life hell for defenders across Europe, McKenna found himself studying at Loughborough University after his playing days were curtailed at 22 by a hip injury.
The consensus is that big-name players can walk into managerial roles while those who take alternative routes must work harder with no guarantee of a breakthrough. Except McKenna bristles at such a suggestion - and says Rooney deserves praise for embracing the “madness” of management when he could be living comfortably in retirement.
“My pathway is very different, missing out on some of those experiences as a player, but I’ve had so many more years to build up different types of knowledge and understanding,” McKenna said.
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“There are different ways into the profession and each of them bring challenges and pressures. I don’t think one way is easier than the other or has fewer demands.
“Full credit to anyone who decides in their madness to fully commit to the profession, whether that’s me without a long playing career or a player who had a fantastic career but still has the desire and passion to stay in the game and impact it in a meaningful way.”
McKenna knew about Rooney long before his breakthrough at Everton because the Northern Irishman was in the same age group at Tottenham. “From very, very early the players who were coming back from the England set-up were raving about this phenomenon coming through,” he added.
But their paths have not crossed often, despite McKenna coaching at United’s academy when Rooney was still banging in goals at Old Trafford. McKenna wants “one of the greats” to succeed long-term but he is calling on his high-flying players to ramp up the pressure with a fast start at St Andrew’s this afternoon.
“Their supporters will be right behind them at the start,” he said. “When any new manager comes in they want to win the first couple but their fixtures have been difficult.
“We know if we can take control and impose ourselves and certainly get the first goal it’ll be a challenge for the home team to feel the expectation from the crowd. That’s always our mindset going into away games - impose ourselves, start fast and if you do get the early goal you give yourself a real chance of the result.”