Man Utd discover managerial target could join another struggling side instead
Manchester United have learned Kieran McKenna is a potential candidate to replace Pierre Sage as head coach of Crystal Palace.
Frenchman Sage is under huge pressure after Palace suffered a heavy 5-0 loss at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
The Guardian understands the 47-year-old, who replaced Oliver Glasner at the helm in June, will be given more time to turn things around.
However, if results do not improve under Sage, the same newspaper claims Palace will consider replacing him with McKenna.
Northern Irishman McKenna is available after leaving Ipswich Town in the summer following their promotion back to the Premier League.
The 40-year-old is highly regarded following his impressive spell at Ipswich, winning three promotions in four-and-a-half seasons with the Tractor Boys.
McKenna continues to be loosely linked with the Manchester United job, with Michael Carrick another manager facing scrutiny.
Questions are being asked about Carrick after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United meant the Red Devils have made their worst start to a season since 1986.
McKenna was interviewed for the United head coach role in the summer of 2024, before the club decided to stick with then-manager Erik ten Hag.
Before joining Ipswich in December 2021, McKenna held several coaching roles at United, starting out as manager of the Under-18s.
He then acted as an assistant manager to Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunner Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick during their respective spells as United manager.
Any club looking to appoint McKenna this season will have to pay Ipswich around €8.3million (£7m) in compensation, according to Sky Sports.
The Portman Road club are financially protected until June 2027, owing to the fact that McKenna was under contract until 2028 before deciding to resign as manager.
Carrick and Sage looking to ease pressure in European competition
Both Carrick and Sage are hoping to buy themselves some time by earning positive results in European competition this week.
Carrick, who has won just two of his 10 games in charge this season, is looking to lead United to victory at Como in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Sage meanwhile is aiming to guide Palace to all three points when they make the trip to Turkish giants Besiktas in the Europa League on Thursday.
Palace - who have four of their 10 games this season - will then entertain Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday, while United host to Bournemouth on the same day.
