But when asked about replacing Brendan Rodgers<\/a> at Celtic Park,<\/a> McKenna didn\u2019t rule it out,<\/a> but made his commitment to Ipswich clear. It feels like the Hoops would need to push hard to persuade him.<\/p>\n McKenna,<\/a> aged 39, has previously worked at Tottenham Hotspur<\/a> and Man United, becoming first-team coach at the latter. His move to Ipswich for his first manager position has been a whirlwind \u2013 but an impressive whirlwind.<\/p>\n He took the Tractor Boys from mid-table in League One to the Premier League<\/a> with back-to-back promotions. And for Hoops hero Neil Lennon,<\/a> this makes him the standout candidate.<\/p>\n Neil Lennon on Celtic manager targets including Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna<\/p>\n Lennon, Rodgers and current interim boss Martin O\u2019Neill<\/a> are all examples of tremendous Celtic<\/a> managers from the north of Ireland.<\/p>\n Could McKenna add his name to that list?<\/p>\n Many Celtic fans would happily see O\u2019Neill continue in his role, as long as results keep coming.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Charlie Mulgrew reflects on awkward Neil Lennon moment behind the scenes at Celtic vs Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n With a coaching team of Shaun Maloney,<\/a> Mark Fotheringham<\/a> and Stephen McManus,<\/a> there is a healthy balance of ages, approaches and voices in the Hoops dressing room.<\/p>\n But O\u2019Neill remains pessimistic of his chances at the permanent role, and for Lennon, McKenna is the first choice.<\/p>\n He told the Scottish Football Social Club: \u201cMy initial thought would\u2019ve been Kieran McKenna. I think they\u2019re looking for a younger coach.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, Kieran had his time at Spurs and Man United, and he\u2019s gone out on his own, got two promotions and obviously a relegation with Ipswich.<\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s done really well with Ipswich. I thought he would\u2019ve been maybe the first choice, really. Whether they can tempt him away is another thing.<\/p>\n \u201cBellamy\u2019s an interesting one, he\u2019s getting rave reviews for Wales. If you know Craig, he\u2019s quite a spiky character, but he would be box office. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s got a very high IQ for football. He\u2019s very detailed in his work, and he obviously worked with Vincent Kompany as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSo those two would be stand-outs for me. Knutsen has been at Bodo\/Glimt for quite a while, and you wonder why, because he\u2019s had so much success for Bodo over the last five-six years. But again, he\u2019s a coach with pedigree.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think they\u2019re looking for a younger one. I\u2019m not going to speculate who that could be. It was interesting, Martin\u2019s comments about the international break coming up, and maybe that will give the club the time to get their man in.\u201d<\/p>\n Celtic candidates Kieran McKenna, Craig Bellamy and Kjetil Knutsen<\/p>\n In McKenna, the Hoops would be pulling off a major coup \u2013 the 39-year-old is one of the highest-rated coaches in Britain.<\/p>\n For Bellamy,<\/a> it looks extremely unlikely that he could be brought in before the end of Wales\u2019 qualification campaign for next year\u2019s World Cup.<\/a><\/p>\n But as a former Hoops striker who was signed by O\u2019Neill, his links to the role are understandable.<\/p>\n![\"Kieran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-2230994987-1024x682.jpg\")
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts \u2013 CameraSport via Getty Images<\/p>\n