Mark McGuinness came off the bench for his debut in the Republic of Ireland u19s’ 5-0 win over Romania on Wednesday, earning the reward for his positive recent Arsenal form.

BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Mark McGuinness of Arsenal celebrates following his team's victory in the Fourth Round FA Youth Cup match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Meadow Park on January 17, 2019 in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
BOREHAMWOOD, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Mark McGuinness of Arsenal celebrates following his team’s victory in the Fourth Round FA Youth Cup match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Meadow Park on January 17, 2019, in Borehamwood, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)

18-year-old McGuinness had previously featured for the Republic of Ireland’s u16 side, but never for an age group as high as the u19s. That changed on Wednesday morning, as the u19 side took on Romania in their 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifier.

McGuinness had earned his first call-up to the squad for the current international break, and he managed to make an appearance for the final 10 minutes of the first match to help his country keep a clean sheet.

The centre-back will be in line to feature again when the ROI u19s face Azerbaijan on Saturday at 9am GMT, and Russia next Tuesday at 2pm GMT.

McGuinness won himself a place in the Irish youth squad with his strong recent performances for the Arsenal u18s. The young Gunners are top of the u18 Premier League as it stands, and that’s partly down to the fact that only two teams in the Southern division have conceded fewer goals than them.

The youngster has also been involved in scoring goals recently too, poaching a couple of close-range finishes after set pieces. Hopefully, he can keep his good form up and help club and country to achieve their goals in the coming months.