Arsenal loanee Mark McGuinness kept his second consecutive clean sheet on his second start for Ipswich Town, beginning to nail down a spot in the side.

After waiting almost a month for his first start with Ipswich Town, Mark McGuinness is making a strong case for remaining in the starting lineup this week.

The 19-year-old impressed on his loan debut on Tuesday, helping Ipswich to their first clean sheet in three games with a performance that earned him a lot of praise from fans. So it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him back in the lineup on Saturday.

Once again, Ipswich kept a clean sheet, this time against Crewe. Given it was another 1-0 win, that was crucial.

McGuinness made 10 clearances, blocked one shot, and made two tackles without committing any fouls. He also completed 88% of his passes, including seven of 11 long balls.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, getting dribbled past twice. Whilst McGuinness won three of his five ground duels, he didn’t match his usual high standards in the air, winning three of seven aerially. But it was enough to get his team over the line again.

If the Arsenal loanee could get a run of games now, that would be ideal. He’s got the physicality and the fight to make it as a top-tier defender, but his injury record held him back last season and he needs consistent game time.