Kieran McKenna is to step down as manager of Ipswich Town, just weeks after overseeing the club's return to the Premier League.
A club statement issued on Wednesday said the 40-year-old had "made the decision to step away from football management and dedicate time to his family" following five seasons in charge at Portman Road.
The Northern Irishman has been linked with the vacancy at top-flight rivals Fulham but he insisted he would be taking a complete break from football.
📰 Kieran McKenna will step down as Ipswich Town Manager after five seasons at the club.
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) June 10, 2026
Kieran has made the decision to step away from football management and dedicate time to his family, having been at the forefront of one of the most successful eras in the club’s history.
"It is with a mixture of gratitude, pride, sadness and contentment that I have decided to step down from the honour of managing this historic football club," McKenna said in Ipswich's statement.
"When you have the connection that we have built at this club there is never a good time to say goodbye.
"However, having achieved a second promotion to the Premier League last season, with another memorable final day in our stadium, and after reflection over the last couple of weeks, I feel this is the right time for me to step aside.
"After giving so much to the role over the previous five seasons, I now look forward to taking a break from management and dedicating some time to my family, who have been with me every step of my career so far."
McKenna was under contract with Ipswich until 2028, having signed a new deal two years ago after guiding the club to a second consecutive promotion.
He left his role as assistant manager at Manchester United to join Ipswich in December 2021, succeeding Paul Cook.
After leading the club out of third-tier League One in his first full season in charge, McKenna then took the Tractor Boys back to the top flight for the first time in 22 years.
Ipswich kept faith with McKenna after they suffered relegation, and their decision was vindicated when the club secured automatic promotion by finishing second in the Championship last season.
Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton said McKenna's achievements meant he was was "now rightly discussed in the same breath as the legends of this club".
"The mark he, his staff and his players have made on Ipswich Town and its community will live forever," Ashton added. "It has captured a generation.
"Like so many, I am of course gutted that our journey together has come to an end, but I understand and respect the decision he has made after five incredibly intense years."