Ipswich Town: Kieran McKenna on Sone Aluko's retirement and future

The 35-year-old joined the Blues back in 2021, having played numerous games in the Premier League, the Championship and the Scottish Premiership. He ended up making 59 appearances for the club in all competitions, helping them secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the top flight.

Having featured in just one league game this season, it felt like Aluko’s impressive playing career was slowly coming to an end, but McKenna was quick to highlight just how incredible he’s been both on and off the pitch, recalling some of his best moments at Town.

“I have to say, honestly, coaching Sone and getting to know him over the last couple of years has been one of the honours of my career,” he said.

“If you start as a football player, he’s a fantastic football player. I think everyone that’s seen him grace Portman Road over the last couple of years would attest to that.

“His technical ability, his football brain, I would’ve loved to have coached him a few years earlier, I have to say!

Aluko reached the FA Cup final and won promotion from the Championship twice (Image: Ross Halls)

“He’s an absolutely fantastic football player, and some of his performances and moments on the pitch over the last two years – Burnley in the FA Cup last season sticks out for me, honestly. I know that’s just a glimpse of what he’s capable of, but an absolutely wonderful football player.

“He’s the record small-sided game winner. There’s been a few people over the last couple of years, Sam Morsy’s had a go at it, Axel Tuanzebe’s had a go at it, but he’s by far and away the best win record of anyone in training over the last two years, no doubt about it.

“More importantly than that for me is how he is as a person. For me, he’s one of the best people I’ve met in football, one of the best for sure. I think it’s well known that the success we’ve had has been so dependent on a group of people, not just the 11 that play every week, but a group of people and a group of players behind that.

“I have to say, Sone’s been at the absolute forefront of that. His emotional intelligence, his empathy, his selflessness for a fantastic football player is absolutely off the scale.

"The way that he’s helped me, the staff, Samy and the other leaders to manage the group, the way he’s supported his team-mates, the way he’s put the group before himself on so many occasions, has been absolutely massive for us.

The 35-year-old could remain at the club with an off-field role (Image: PA)

“I absolutely guarantee that we wouldn’t have this evening, we wouldn’t have this celebration, we wouldn’t have this bus parade without Sone and a few others like him who’ve continually pushed the group, supported the group and put others before themselves.”

What the future holds for Aluko remains to be seen, although he’s spent much of the season watching games in front of the press box with Ipswich’s analysts, learning how they work and providing feedback to his team-mates in the dressing room at half-time.

McKenna confirmed that the club would offer him the opportunity to stay on, with discussions to continue over the summer ahead of Town’s Premier League return.

“We hope that Sone will stay with us in one capacity or another. His agent is going to speak to Mark about that. The highest paid coach in Premier League history is what he’s pushing for,” the manager joked.

“We’re really keen to keep good people and Sone is a fantastic person. We hope he’ll be involved in some way. I hope it won’t be the last and I’m sure it won’t be the last time that we all see him after tonight.”