Ipswich Town chairman Mark Ashton admitted Kieran McKenna’s decision to resign initially left him ‘shocked’.
But with the benefit of hindsight, Ashton was ‘not surprised’ by McKenna’s sudden exit.
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McKenna walked away from Portman Road after five years in charge, citing a need to take a break from management and spend more time with his family.
Speaking exclusively on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan, Ashton revealed McKenna first approached him about wanting to step away shortly after he helped the Tractor Boys seal an instant return to the Premier League.
Following several conversations, Ashton recognised McKenna was genuinely ready for a brief hiatus.
Ashton: I was ‘shocked but not surprised’ McKenna wanted a break
“It’s been a challenging few weeks, if I’m honest,” Ashton said.
“Kieran came and spoke to me not long after the end of the season and said, ‘Look, we’ve had the best part of five incredible years together, three promotions, I feel like I might need a break, it might be the time for me to step back for a period.’
“Really, the conversation started from there. I do see what it’s taken out of him because this job is tough, particularly when we’ve been working at the pace we’ve had.
“I said, ‘Look, just go away and think about it.’ He did, we continued to dialogue consistently.
“It just became apparent that he was genuinely ready to step back for a period and take a break.”
When asked whether McKenna’s decision came as a shock, Ashton said: “I think you’re always shocked when something like this happened.
“But when you have time then to look at it with a clearer lens, you’re shocked but you’re not surprised, because I have seen how much effort and energy he manages with.
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“So in hindsight, I’m probably not as surprised as I think I should have been.”
McKenna wasn’t Craven Fulham
Some suspected there was a connection between McKenna’s exit and the vacancy at Fulham, where he had been heavily linked following Marco Silva’s departure to Benfica.
However, Ashton never felt there was an ulterior motive behind McKenna’s resignation.
“It felt right, it was sincere,” Ashton said.
“You guys have been around this industry enough, there’s a lot of noise around any player or manager that’s successful, interest from other people.
“But he was very clear with me that that’s not what he wanted to do, he genuinely wanted to step back for a period.”
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With McKenna’s exit official, attention now turns towards who could replace him at Portman Road.
Who will replace McKenna at Ipswich?
talkSPORT understands Strasbourg boss Gary O’Neil is a candidate for the role at Ipswich.
O’Neil already boasts Premier League experience, having previously been in charge at Wolves and Bournemouth.
The 43-year-old already has the support of talkSPORT Drive co-host and former Ipswich striker Darren Bent, who anointed O’Neil as his ‘first choice’ for the vacancy.
“I would like to see someone like Gary O’Neil. I really like, working with him on Sky, seeing the way that he sees the game, the way he speaks about football,” Bent said.
“And I know he’s got more experience probably than Kieran, potentially. But they seem like similar type profiles, in terms of the way they want to manage the football they want to play.
“So I think probably Gary would be my first choice, I’d say.”
