McKenna praises Hutchinson after ‘tough time’ from Arsenal fans | OneFootball

Kieran McKenna says he was surprised by the reaction former Arsenal player Omari Hutchinson received at the Emirates Stadium and praised the Ipswich forward’s mentality after scoring in his team’s 2-0 win over Chelsea.

Hutchinson played a key role in McKenna’s side securing their first home win of the season against Chelsea, another of his former clubs, netting the crucial second goal for his team.

And the Ipswich boss says he is delighted for the 21-year-old after what he described as a “tough time” for him when he faced Arsenal in their previous outing.

“I’m really pleased,” McKenna said. “It’s been a big few days for him.

“He got a tough time of it the other night, to be honest, I thought, for a young player trying to do the right thing for his career.

“I was a little bit surprised by that. But that was a hell of a learning experience for him the other night and against quality opposition as well.

“To bounce back from that three days later, to play against another of your former teams, to play another 90 minutes at 21 years of age and to show the physicality and maturity, the dynamism that he showed right off the back of that 90 minutes against Arsenal the other night, it says a lot about Omari and the direction he’s travelling in.”