Speaking to the media this afternoon, McKenna faced a barrage of questions about a potential move to Celtic Park.

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But he stressed: “It’s not something I’ve given any thought to, or where any part of my concentration is this week, to be honest.

“I know I’ve got a really special job here at a special club, a massive football club that I’ve built a great affinity to and we’re in a really important season and a really important stage of the season.

“We’ve got a really big week coming up, three big games starting on Saturday at QPR. So honestly anything outside of that hasn’t touched my radar this week, my focus has been 100% on the group here, helping the players get ready for the game.”

Kieran McKenna, inset, was made favourite for the Celtic job after Ange Postecoglou drifted in the betting (Image: PA Sport)

Asked if an approach had been made by Celtic, he said: “I’ve not had any of those conversations or anything of the like. Again, my focus has been purely here.”

He then interrupted the next question which started with the assertion that his focus was purely at Ipswich ‘for now.’

“Not for now,” he stressed. “My focus is honestly just on Ipswich. Of course, we all grow up as football supporters and people who are lucky enough to work in the game have different affinity with different clubs, but as I said, I’m really privileged to be in the situation I am.

“I know the size and significance, the history of this football club as well. And I think when you’re  in the honoured position of managing this football club, there’s no time or space to think or discuss any other football clubs – other than doing your very, very best in the role that you’re in.”

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So, does McKenna see himself at Town for many years?

“I work here as if I’m going to be here forever, to be honest – and I have done since the first day I was here,” he replied. “I try and do everything for the long-term good of the football club.

“When I arrived it was always going to be a long-term project – or you hoped it was going to be! For the club it was always a long-term project and we’re still very much in the middle of that.

“You look outside and you can see a lot of cranes and work going on out there, and that probably represents every part of the football club.

“I work as if I’m always going to be Ipswich manager. I know in reality I won’t be, there will be some stage in the future that I won’t be for whatever reason, but it never detracts from me every day trying to do the right things for the long-term future of the club, and that’s where my focus is.”

Martin O’Neill, left, has apparently backed McKenna to get the Celtic job (Image: Shutterstock)

McKenna was then asked if there was an understanding with the club that he could explore big opportunities should they arise.

He said: “These things are usually contractual, I don’t think there’s many unofficial handshakes or anything like that.

“I think in every manager’s contract there’s contractual things – I couldn’t even tell you what mine are to be honest.

“If I did know I wouldn’t tell you – but I don’t know what they are. It’s not my focus, again, that was just on the session this morning.”

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On Martin O’Neill, the interim Celtic boss who has reportedly recommended him for the job, McKenna said: “It’s not something that I’ve followed greatly.

“I used to coach Martin’s nephew, which is my closest link to Martin O’Neill, Rory Fallon, who’s a very good footballer, and there are no other big links there.

“I see they got a good result last night, but other than that it’s trying to get ready for QPR.”

 Of Celtic as a club and whether he followed them as a youngster, or still does now, he said: “As I said, it’s a really big football club.

“Growing up we all have our affinities – I don’t think everyone has to go round and announce what they were, the clubs that we support and the clubs that we follow.

“Of course it’s a really big football club, but again we’re in a really busy, really important stage of the season, going into the international break with three big games, so I haven’t watched a whole lot of football this week.

“I didn’t watch the Carabao Cup during the week, or too much else, apart from all of QPR’s games this season.”

Towards the end of the press conference, attention turned back to Celtic.

Brendan Rodgers quit as Celtic boss earlier this week (Image: PA)

McKenna was asked if his commitment to Town meant that he’d turn down any approach from any club.

He replied: “I think there’s been a fair few instances over the past few years, some public and some not public, where there’s been interest from different clubs, which happens when you go well.

“But I think that I’ve shown that I’m really respectful and grateful to be the manager of this football club, really committed to the project here, really committed to the people here, and want to do really well for this club, try and build it up over the long term.

“So I think that’s been pretty clear over the last few years. Again, I know I won’t be the manager here forever, for one reason or another, but I’m certainly fully-focused on the task at hand here – both in the short term and the medium and long as well.”

Does the Celtic link show that Town are still on track to get back to the Premier League?

“I don’t think there’s a link between the two, I wouldn’t imagine,” McKenna said.

“The season is what it is at the moment, we knew it was going to be a challenging season, we then had an even more difficult summer than we expected in terms of turnover.

“So it’s almost a whole new team that we’re trying to build – a talented group, but a really new group to the club and in many instances the league, so we’ve got a really big challenge on our hands here.

“I know where we’re at in the project here, doing some things well, some big areas for improvement still, which is natural with where we’re at.

“The scale of the challenge here means that I can’t afford to take my mind off of that or step down my concentration at any point.”

Does the competitiveness of the Championship make it more appealing to McKenna than the Scottish Premiership, which tends to be dominated by Celtic and Rangers?

“It’s not a point that I was making or considering,” McKenna insisted. “I’ve not considered anything out of doing the best job here.

“Every division has its ways, has its bigger clubs and smaller clubs. It’s not an opinion, I think it’s pretty factual that in the Championship the gap from the top to the bottom is really, really small, and it’s one of the more competitive divisions in European football.

“But there’s other really good divisions and really good clubs all over the world.

“But my focus is just on the here and now.”

Finally, McKenna was asked about Championship managers taking jobs in Scotland’s top league and struggling.

“I’m just trying to think if there’s any more links we can make!” an exasperated McKenna laughed.

“Again, I’ve got not got too much time to watch Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Scottish Premier League, any other leagues at the moment.

“We’re in a 46-game season here and we’ve got a lot of games. 95% of my football watching at the moment is in the Championship, so I wouldn’t care to give too many opinions on any other leagues at the moment.”