Ipswich Town boss makes bold Leeds United and Leicester City claim and reveals promotion 'discussions'

An incredibly tense promotion race is being played out in the second tier, with McKenna’s Ipswich currently in pole position. The Tractor Boys have made a seamless transition to life back in the Championship, emerging as surprise title contenders.

Leeds and Leicester, meanwhile, sit second and third respectively having each suffered relegation from the Premier League last season. Southampton are also not out of the picture yet, sitting fourth on 74 points.

Speaking to Sky Sports, McKenna said: “We'd have to say we wouldn't have thought we'd be where we are in terms of points accumulated at this stage. But we don't spend a lot of time thinking about it. It's about building and continuing the journey we've been on. We've focused on imposing ourselves on the league and bringing our identity to the Championship. I'm delighted we've managed to do that.

"It's been two incredible seasons we've been a part of, and we have to look at the positives of being involved in it. The teams we are competing with are as strong as we've ever seen at the top of the Championship. It's a mixture of that, and everyone really performing well and pushing each other.”

Sign up to our new Sports Editor’s TeamTalk newsletter available this week

Although Ipswich cannot afford to get carried away, contingencies must be put in place early to ensure they hit the ground running next season, regardless of which division they will be competing in. McKenna has revealed there have been discussions about promotion, which he has admitted would be “incredible” for the town.

He said: "We've had some initial discussions [about promotion], because we can't wait until the summer to decide what our squad will look like depending on what league we're in. But those conversations have been pretty minimal. 99 per cent of all planning always goes into the next game.

"Of course it would be incredible for the town. But we've not planned how the celebration would feel. We're deeply rooted in reality. We know the level of competition, and there's still such a long way to go. It's not our job to dream, it's our job to do."