New Town recruit Mark McGuinness is looking forward to throwing his weight behind the club’s so-far promising promotion challenge.

Early days, of course, but with Paul Lambert’s men sitting proudly atop League One with a 100 per cent record, the arrival of the 19-year-old Arsenal central defender can surely only enhance the club’s efforts to return to the Championship.

McGuinness showed what he could do when he impressed in the Gunners’ U21 team’s 2-1 EFL Trophy win at Portman Road last month, with Town beating at least two other clubs to clinch a season-long loan deal for the London-born Republic of Ireland U19 cap.

“I’d love to help Ipswich win promotion this season,” said McGuinness. “I think they deserve it and with the team they have at the moment I think they have a great chance, so to be involved in something like that would be great.

“Individually, I want to play as many games as I can and as regularly as possible. I want to get into that routine of playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday and I want to learn as much as possible from the lads here so that I can take it forward with me wherever I go on loan in the future.

“It’s been nice settling in over the past few days. I’ve had a little walkabout and it seems to be a nice town.

“I’ve only been here for a couple of days so hopefully I’ll settle in a lot more and get my own place. The training’s been good and I’m looking forward to next week so that I can have a full week and really get into it.

“The training’s a top standard. I’ve been with the first team from time to time at Arsenal and it’s definitely up there in terms of quality and intensity.

“It’s been very good and it’s been good to adapt as well. There’s a similar philosophy between the gaffer here and at Arsenal.”

McGuinness recalled the EFL Trophy game, adding: “I wanted to go out on loan and I knew that game would be a great platform on which to perform.

“I wasn’t aware that Ipswich were interested but it obviously helped that we were playing them. I played okay, I guess!

“I’d been thinking about a loan move since the back end of last season. I felt like I was ready to make that step up to first-team football, men’s football, but I picked up a few injuries and they pushed me back

“Coming into the summer and pre-season I was raring to go and I’m just grateful that I’ve got such a good loan at a big club sorted out, and I can’t wait to get started.

“The style of football Ipswich are playing was an important factor for my development as a player. These days centre-halves are expected to be comfortable on the ball and to be able to play out from the back, and that’s how they want to play at this club.

“I think it was really good for me. U23s football is great but it’s a bit enclosed and not the same as playing first-team football against older guys.

“I wanted to sample the whole first-team environment more regularly so the experience I had with being involved in some first-team training sessions at Arsenal was really helpful and ideal preparation for me coming here.”

Asked how he fared against top-class strikers like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in practice matches, McGuinness laughed: “They’re in my back pocket somewhere — I hope they don’t see this!”

Photo: ITFC

arc added 14:43 - Sep 26 "They deserve it"–no, we don't. Time to earn it.
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