Related items

• Ipswich boss McKenna shutting out speculation amid Chelsea, Brighton links

  Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is blocking out speculation linking him with the vacant posts at Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion.

  McKenna has earned plaudits after leading Ipswich to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, ending the Tractor Boys' 22-year exile from the top flight.

  His outstanding work has led to suggestions he is a target for other clubs, with Brighton and Hove Albion being linked with a move after Roberto De Zerbi left the club.

  On Tuesday, meanwhile, reports suggested he was a possible contender to take over at Chelsea after Mauricio Pochettino surprisingly left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent.

  McKenna saw off competition from Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Sean Dyche, Unai Emery and John Mousinho to win the League Managers Association's Manager of the Year award on Tuesday, and his focus is simply on celebrating Ipswich's achievements.

  "When you do well as a manager, or as a player, there's always going to be speculation," McKenna said at Tuesday's awards ceremony.

  "What we've achieved is no ordinary thing so of course there's going to be speculation. That's not where my focus is, to be honest.

  "It's been a wonderful couple of years and tonight is about celebrating that. Everyone's looking forward to next season and I know the club's going to be in a really good place."

  McKenna has also been tentatively linked with a return to Manchester United, where he spent five years as a coach with the academy and the first team, as Erik ten Hag's position continues to be questioned.

  Former Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson presented McKenna with his award on Tuesday, which he described as "one of the most humbling and proudest moments" of his life. 

  "It's the best thing in the world and I've had good experience as a first-team coach, but to be a manager in the Premier League and go up against great managers is going to be a great challenge and something I can't wait for," he added.

• Outgoing Brighton boss De Zerbi not walking into new job

  Roberto De Zerbi insisted he does not have another job lined up after overseeing his final game as Brighton and Hove Albion boss on Sunday.

  One day after surprisingly announcing De Zerbi's departure, Brighton ended their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United.

  That meant they slipped below rivals Crystal Palace to finish 11th in the table, their first bottom-half placing since finishing 16th in 2020-21.

  De Zerbi has been linked with several big clubs since leading Brighton to European qualification last season, with Bayern Munich, Milan and Napoli touted as possible landing spots for the former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk coach.

  However, De Zerbi says he has not reached an agreement with any other club, telling reporters: "There isn't any club – no-one offered me anything. At the moment, nothing.

  "I hope to work in the Premier League again. I don't know where or when, but it was an honour to work in the Premier League."

  Sunday's defeat was De Zerbi's 70th Premier League game in charge of Brighton, with his top-flight win percentage of 37 per cent (26/70) the highest of any boss in the Seagulls' history.

  Battling a lengthy injury list for much of 2023-24, Brighton made a total of 143 changes to their starting lineup throughout the course of the campaign, with only Manchester City in 2019-20 (144) ever making more in a single Premier League season.

  Asked by BBC Match of the Day if there was a particular reason for his exit, the Italian added: "We didn't find the agreement to move on. I want to keep my way. 

  "I know very well what I want to do and I know I am a coach and I have to accept the policies of the club.

  "They gave me an incredible chance. They gave me the possibility to know incredible people, to play and to work in the Premier League, to play in the Europa League. They gave me the opportunity to know this club, this city, these fans and that I cannot forget."

  Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna and Nice coach Francesco Farioli have both been tipped as possible contenders to replace De Zerbi, with Brighton having a reputation for excellent succession planning under owner Tony Bloom.

  Asked about the search for a replacement on Sunday, Bloom said: "We always try and have a plan. We have got a plan. We now need to execute that plan."

• Ten Hag concedes Man Utd's Premier League finish 'not good enough by far'

  Erik ten Hag conceded Manchester United's season was "not good enough by far" after the Red Devils recorded their lowest Premier League finish in eighth place.

  United concluded their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion, with second-half goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund sealing the points at the American Express Stadium.

  Nevertheless, Ten Hag's side finished three points behind sixth-placed Chelsea and will subsequently miss out on European football for the first time in 10 years, unless they beat Manchester City in next week's FA Cup final.

  And the Dutchman, who insisted his players "will fight for the cup" at Wembley, pulled no punches in his assessment of United's season.

  "It is not good enough by far," he told Match of the Day. "Although we had less than 60 points two years ago [58 points in 2021-22], eighth is the worst performance. We should have done better.

  "We know the reasons behind it, but it is not the right moment to go into it. It’s not good enough."

  On the win over Brighton, he added: "The first half was too static. We changed something at half-time, and after that we had more control. 

  "We had a lot of problems defending Joao Pedro in the first half, but then we had more control, and we were better on the ball. In the end, the win is OK."