Kieran McKenna poaches Manchester United scout for Ipswich role

Former Manchester United assistant Kieran McKenna has raided his old club in order to get a new head of recruitment for Ipswich Town.

McKenna, 35, was appointed Ipswich manager back in December and has already managed to revive their play-off dreams with a steady run of results since taking over. While the aim for this season remains a promotion push, McKenna is keen to look at the long-term project he is overseeing and has gone back to United to lure Sam Williams to Portland Road.

Williams had worked for United since November 2017, most recently as a first-team recruitment analyst and an academy scout, where he worked alongside McKenna and his assistant, Martyn Pert.

READ MORE: Walking in the footsteps of Ramsey and Robson - how Kieran McKenna left Manchester United to win over Ipswich Town

Prior to joining United, he was a scout for Bolton Wanderers, previously spending time in the same role at Sheffield Wednesday. Williams will officially join the League One club on Monday 11 April and will play a leading role in the recruitment and scouting of players.

On his appointment, Williams told the official Ipswich website: "Mark Ashton really sold the club and it’s a really exciting time to be joining.

"It’s been a privilege to work for Manchester United and I’ve worked with fantastic people, but this was an opportunity I just couldn’t turn down.

"There’s a lot of work to be done between now and the end of the transfer window. I’m looking forward to the challenge and working together closely with Kieran [McKenna], Martyn [Pert] and Gary [Probert].

"We’re going to implement a very thorough and methodical process which will help provide the best available players to help us achieve our aims and ambitions, which is