The former Man Utd assistant coach is hoping to return to pick up all three points on his return to Old Trafford

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna says that it’s a surprise for everyone in football to see Manchester United as low as they are in the Premier League table - and claims that it is a testament to just how competitive the division is at this moment in time.

United are currently 15th in the table and just 13 points clear of the relegation zone after a 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park. Ruben Amorim has struggled to hit the ground running after replacing Erik ten Hag and once again locks horns with the first opposing coach he ever faced in English football. That particular meeting was a 1-1 draw where the now departed Marcus Rashford’s opener was cancelled out by Omari Hutchinson.

McKenna worked as under-18s coach at Carrington between 2016 and 2018 and in his second season in charge won the Premier League Northern Division title. He also worked as assistant coach to Jose Mourinho alongside Michael Carrick for the final six months of the Portuguese manager’s reign before also working in the same role alongside Ole Gunner Solskjaer and interim boss Ralf Ragnick.

The Northern Irishmen has gone on to forge a successful career of his own as a manager and after leading Ipswich to back-to-back promotions, is targeting an upset against his former employers as he aims to steer the Tractor Boys to a great escape.

Kieran McKenna discusses Man Utd’s poor season

Speaking ahead of the game at Old Trafford, Kieran McKenna said that United had been on the wrong side of results much more than they had wanted without necessarily doing a great deal wrong.

“I think it's a surprise for anyone,” he told TWTD when commenting on United’s league position. “I don’t think anyone in football would say it's anything other than that. I'm sure they'd want to be having a better season than they are.

“I think it does show the competitiveness of the Premier League, that’s the truth of it. I think the margins to win games, whether it's Man United in the last few months, we've seen it with Man City for spells of the season, we've seen it with Tottenham for spells of the season.

“You don't need to do loads and loads of things wrong and you can find yourself on the wrong side of results. They've found themselves on the wrong side of results more often than they would have wanted.

“But I think it's an incredibly strong league. So many of the teams have strengthened and pushed on again over the last few seasons and it means that there aren’t any guarantees for any team in the league.”

Kieran McKenna sends pre-match message to team

Kieran McKenna says Wednesday’s trip is a match which both fans and players have been excited for since the fixtures were released in the summer.

“It's a standout one in the calendar for sure,” he said. “For quite a few of our players it will be the first time that they'll play at Old Trafford and it doesn't come round ten times in every career. So the opportunity to go and compete there in a league game is fantastic. For the football club, for the group of players and for the staff, we're all really excited for it.”

Ipswich are five points adrift of safety and in desperate need of all three points if they are to bridge the gap between themselves and Wolves. When discussing his approach to the game, McKenna warned that his team would need to balance out being brave with humility due to the standard of opposition. However, he was keen to remind how well his side performed in the reverse game as they drew 1-1 at Portman Road.

He explained: “I think we need to and we will go there with the right balance of humility, knowing that we're playing against some world-class players in their home stadium. But also with the confidence to know that we've picked up some big results away from home. We played well against Man United in the first game and we go there to try and impose ourselves on as much of the game as we can and play really well and try and fight for points.”