Ipswich midfielder Massimo Luongo believes the Sky Bet Championship new boys can take the division by storm thanks to a manager “setting the bar” for modern coaches. The Tractor Boys are back in the second tier for the first time in five seasons after they scored 101 goals to secure promotion from League One and travel to Sunderland this weekend. Former Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna is the man behind Ipswich’s revival and Luongo, currently nursing a minor groin strain, admitted the draw of working with the 37-year-old was the decisive factor in a return to Portman Road after a loan spell in 2012. Under the stewardship of McKenna, in his first senior managerial role, Ipswich entertained League One last season with a brand of attacking and possession-based football not usually associated with success in England’s lower-leagues. While Luongo is under no illusions about the Championship being a big step up, he is fully swept up in the excitement that has been present at the Suffolk outfit since McKenna’s arrival in the winter of 2021. He told the PA news agency: “We have a good blend of boys ready to make the jump up and boys prepared to do the normal business. It is definitely one with a lot of anticipation and we’re all excited. I am definitely excited. “It is definitely a step up, physically it is a step up. The difficult thing is how you compare because we dominated so many games in League One so physically they are not as demanding as games in the Championship. “Everyone has the typical Champ game references when you watch Championship football and it comes around a lot. “But I think with Ipswich, after Burnley last year, we will try to be the exception where you are not saying that. “We want to play out from the back, play good football, be entertaining, so it will be a challenge but the players we have got are all looking forward to it.” Australia international Luongo is delighted to be established at a club for the start of this season after enduring a difficult time last summer. Luongo had to wait until September to find a new club before he failed to make an appearance during his short stint at Middlesbrough and had largely “written off the season” when Ipswich registered their interest before January. The lure of being managed by ex-Tottenham Under-18s boss McKenna, after crossing paths at Spurs, helped the 30-year-old get over a largely disappointing 2022 to become a key figure for Ipswich and he netted in the 6-0 victory over Exeter that clinched promotion in April. “With Ipswich there was some history there, I enjoyed it last time and probably the manager was the biggest pull. I came across him a little bit at Tottenham and over my career he kept track of me. I had also heard a lot of good things,” Luongo said. “What is striking for me is his detail in how he wants to play. On the pitch, the detail is at a really, really high level, like the information we receive and the feedback we receive from the coaches. We want to play out from the back, play good football, be entertaining, so it will be a challenge but the players we have got are all looking forward to it. Ipswich midfielder Massimo Luongo “And the way he conducts himself. He is in early, watches every second of training and loves football, I feel like he watches every single game because he pulls out games like that. “His knowledge of modern football is really good and he is obsessed with football to be honest. That bleeds into the team and we can all see it. “You can tell he loves football, is obsessed with it and wants to improve as a coach and manager so you can imagine what he wants for us and demands from us. “I enjoy coming in every day, for sure. The coaching staff and him have definitely created an atmosphere where we are firstly humble. “We don’t leave any stone unturned, it doesn’t matter who we play against. Then when we win, stay humble and when we lose, don’t get too low. They have done a really good job of that. “The manager has mixed with good people at Man United, his background with where else he has learnt and stayed, so I think the football we are playing is probably setting the bar for modern day managers of what is required. “It is interesting because I have had a little spell of (Michael) Carrick and I can see the same with Kieran as well, so it is a good place to be.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku player swap bid hits snag On This Day in 2008 – Kevin Pietersen appointed England Test and one-day captain World Cup winning coach Jill Ellis blown away by ‘unpredictable’ tournament

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Bruno Fernandes threw his support behind Andre Onana and told the devastated Manchester United goalkeeper to stop blaming himself for the Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich. Having been beaten in three of their first five matches for the first time in the Premier League era, the Red Devils’ return to European football’s top table ended in a 4-3 loss on Wednesday night. Erik ten Hag’s men started the Group A opener surprisingly well at the Allianz Arena, only for summer signing Onana to somehow let a low Leroy Sane shot squirm home. The 27-year-old buried his head in the turf and was consoled by team-mates, later saying he “let the team down” and that United “didn’t win today, it’s because of me”. “It’s not about Andre,” United skipper Fernandes said. “Andre is a great goalkeeper. “He will keep giving us a lot of points, a lot of saves. He hasn’t to take any blame for nothing. “We have to take the blame as a team, that we’re going to go through this moment together because we are strong as a team.” Onana’s gaffe was swiftly followed by a Serge Gnabry strike, with Harry Kane then scoring a penalty straight after Rasmus Hojlund had pulled one back early in the second half. The match came to a hectic conclusion, with Casemiro scoring either side of Mathys Tel’s stoppage-time strike as United showed spirit but ultimately lost for a fourth time in five matches. “I think what everyone has to do is to do their own job and look at themselves first,” Fernandes said in the bowels of the Allianz Arena. “That’s what I do as a player, not as a captain – as a person and first point. “I think everyone does that and I think today it wasn’t the case that not everyone was doing the best for the team or trying to fight for getting the result. I think everyone did that. “It’s just the momentum and against big teams, as I said, when you give a lot of chances to them, they’re going to hurt you. “Even then they give us some chances and we scored three goals, so I think no-one would expect us to come into Bayern and score three goals. “I don’t think anyone outside of us would expect us to fight for the result in trying to get something from the game. “But I think the team did. Obviously it wasn’t enough but we’re not playing against some bad team. “We were playing one of the best teams in the world, with great players, with great qualities. “Obviously it’s not the best moment for us but we will get through this and we will get the results back.” United stayed in Germany following the Group A opener and are training before flying back as preparations step up for Saturday evening’s key trip to Burnley. Ten Hag will be hoping to have more options to choose from at Turf Moor, having headed to Bayern without nine injured players. “Obviously, we want to have everyone back because we know that as many players we have available, the team will be stronger,” Fernandes said. “And obviously more options for the manager to do his choices and whatever his tactics, the first 11 or whatever he picks. “But obviously, still, we have the players and we have enough experience and enough talent in the team to get through this moment even with all the players. “Obviously now I think some of them probably will come back earlier and will lift the team because we have quality players injured. “But it’s about the ones that are now playing, giving something to get the result and that’s it. “We can’t rely now on the injuries and everything. “We know it’s tough and you need to get through that because you can’t control (it). “But I think the team has players (good) enough to get a response.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Son Heung-min believes Arsenal should fear in-form Tottenham Ryder Cup by the numbers On This Day in 2008 – United States end European dominance with Ryder Cup win

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