McGuinness put pen to paper on a season-long loan deal at Portman Road earlier this week, joining from Premier League giants Arsenal.

 

The teenage centre-back has been at the Emirates Stadium since the age of 10 and was a dominant presence in the heart of the defence against Ipswich in an EFL Trophy meeting with Arsenal Under-21s earlier this month.

 

 

Lambert revealed that McGuinness, who captained his parent club in that fixture, left a lasting impression on him with his leadership on the pitch, and the 51-year-old lauded the Ipswich new boy as a good leader.

 

The Ipswich boss has backed McGuinness to make the best of his loan move and expects the teenager to step up to the challenge of playing for his new team.

 

 

“He’s got a big presence about him so I’m really happy.

 

“He looked a really good leader as well for somebody so young”, Lambert told Ipswich’s official site.

 

“His no nonsense approach was really good.

 

 

“He’s comfortable on the ball.

 

“It’s a good challenge for him to take on and it should be a beneficial loan move for him.”

 

McGuinness featured for the Arsenal first-team in pre-season friendlies before the start of the 2020/21 campaign and will don the number 2 shirt for Ipswich.